February 2008

SWIFT RESPONSE FROM SUPPLY CHAIN TO BLACKWALL TUNNEL SPILL

A fuel spillage in the early hours of Tuesday 26 February inside the Blackwall Tunnel, underneath the River Thames in east London - saw AccordMP and Bardon Contracting South East, react swiftly to undertake emergency repairs to the carriageway and minimise disruption for the motoring public.

Appointed by Transport for London (TfL) to carry out routine highway maintenance, reactive operations and improvement capital works across South London, AccordMP demonstrated the benefits of having strong relationships with Bardon Contracting South East, an Aggregate Industries business, to ensure a quick and effective response.

Within just a few hours of being alerted to the spillage which closed the whole northbound tunnel, Bardon Contracting mobilised operatives, plant, equipment and materials, quickly joining AccordMP supervisors on site to assess the damage.

Planing work began on site at 12 pm with surfacing commencing at 7 pm and finishing at 4.00 am, allowing the road to be reopened for traffic before the morning rush hour. 

Bardon Contracting South East’s Area Manager, Martin Freeman, says, “Damaged surface course and binder course were removed from lane one along the entire 1.5 km length of the tunnel, and at the tunnel’s approaches and exits.

“We mobilised three surfacing crews to resurface overnight using material which was produced by Aggregate Industries’ Yeoman Asphalt Greenwich-based plant.

“Due to the confines of the tunnel which restricts access to vehicles over 10 tonnes, it was an enormous team effort to mobilise the large surfacing resource, materials and appropriate transport to ensure that the carriageway could be reopened to the public by 5.00 am that morning.”

Dave Wright, Deputy Managing Director of AccordMP comments, “I’d like to thank Aggregate Industries as a whole for the way in which it responded to a major incident at such short notice. I am a great believer in integration of the team at all levels, and its response has reinforced my views.”

 

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