Supporting the local community

Skanska is proud to have been supporting local schools and organisations over the past year, including:

• Sponsoring shirts and pitch fees for the Weymouth Cricket Club youth team
• Providing set up costs for St Andrew’s School summer fete, which this year raised £4000
• Contributing the main set up costs for the annual charity golf tournament run by DFRA at Came Down Golf Course which raised £5000 this year
• Supplying Hi-viz vests and setting up crash barriers for the recent Children In Need event at Weymouth Sealife Centre
• Providing breakfast food for Westfield Technology College’s Nurture Group for the current school year

Skanska have also agreed to be the main sponsor for the 2010 Weymouth Carnival.

Creating a nature reserve

 

Work has begun in the Lorton Valley – as part of the Weymouth Relief Road project – to restore more of the meadows between the Dorset Wildlife Trust nature reserve and Horselynch Plantation.

Two of the meadows have become covered in scrub, mainly brambles, in the past decade and there are only small pockets of grassland and wildflowers left. 

To start the restoration, much of the scrub is being cut to the ground, but small patches of scrub and some individual trees are being left as song posts and breeding areas for birds.

The opening up of the meadow will also allow people to wander through the area, and to be able to avoid the muddy paths.

Early next year some of the cleared areas will be sown with wildflower seed, and next summer we hope the area will start to look more like a grassland nature reserve and less like a bramble thicket.

Arch now visible

Most of the concrete needed to make the main arch of the Ridgeway bridge has been poured into place.

The crown of the bridge will be completed in the new year, along with the remainder of the parapets.

Green bridge arches arrive

Pre-cast concrete arches for the Southdown Ridge green bridge were delivered on Tuesday and are being manoeuvred into place throughout this week.

Once securely in place, the arches will be back filled on either side to create the footpath across the bridge.

The bridge keeps the bridleway and footpath connected, which the road would otherwise sever. It will also be landscaped to blend into the surrounding area and ensure wildlife can cross the road.

Early birds

Work on the Manor Railway Bridge will start at 5am tomorrow, Tuesday 15 December, to complete the concrete pour for the bridge in one day.

Work may continue into the evening if the predicted low temperatures slow down the rate at which the concrete can be poured.

Skanska has received permission from the planning authority for this change in normal working hours, and for two weeks of night works in mid January to complete the bridge parapets.

Newsletter out now

Find out more about the relief road bridges, underpass and subway in the latest edition of The Route.

Rugby pitches back in action

 

Work to improve Weymouth Rugby Club’s main playing field has finished and the club are now back playing on home soil.

While the pitches were unavailable, it was arranged for the club to train and host games on the Wey Valley School’s playing fields.

Read more about the work undertaken on the pitches and the Dorset Echo story about the club returning home.

Ridgeway diversion road

Work is underway to build a temporary diversion road, which will keep traffic flowing while the relief road is tied in with the existing A354.

Read more here.

Wet weather working

Despite the atrocious weather during November, and so far in December, work is still underway on the relief road.

The ground may be too wet for the big trucks and diggers to move around, but work is continuing on all of the structures.

The Southdown Ridge bridge footings are now in place and the concrete arches for the span of the bridge will arrive soon.

Thumbs up!

Mickey Jones of DJ Property and David Norman of Condor Ferries have visited the relief road site and been impressed with the progress that’s been made.

The Weymouth and Portland businessmen are also keen to see the  boost the road will give the local economy.

Read more here.