The A35 Dorset and the A30 Devon are stretches of trunk road maintained by Balfour Beatty and South West Highways through a joint venture named SWH/BBISJV, they are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the A35/A30 route until 2026 when the contract ends. These roads are made up of high speed dual carriageway, high speed single carriageway and urban areas, due to this, our repair work was completed under full night time road closures, ensuring the safety of everyone on site and to reduce disruption for commuters.

The A35/A30 are constructed using CRCP – Continuously reinforced concrete pavement, often a popular choice for a highly trafficked road due to being extremely heavy duty and offering a service life of around 20-40 years, or even longer with the proper maintenance.

Repairing CRCP requires precision and accuracy, after removing the damaged sections of concrete, new steel starter bars are installed at 150mm centres just slightly offset from where the existing ones are. The dowel bars are then resined into place and steel mesh/ reinforcing bars are attached at both ends running continuously along the length of the bay, ensuring the continuous reinforcement isn’t broken or disrupted.

Starting in June, LMS Highways was instructed to provide CRCP concrete bay replacements and joint sealing across both the A30 Devon and A35 Dorset. The project ran over five weekends, during this time the team installed over 167 Cubic Metres of Concrete and 6.7 tonnes of steel.

Continuously reinforced concrete pavement is constructed with steel reinforcing bars placed within the concrete, continuously along the entire length of the pavement. The result is a continuous, smooth-riding surface capable of withstanding the heaviest traffic loads and the most adverse weather conditions.

Over the past 10 years LMS Highways has worked with Balfour Beatty on many different concrete repair project. With our vast experience and expertises LMS Highways has become a go to provider for specialist urgent repairs and rapid concrete bay replacements due to our ability to provide accelerated programs, reducing road closure times and minimising disruption for road users.

Key factors making an accelerated program possible:

• Meticulous prior planning: Ensuring a comprehensive understanding of project requirements and constraints.
• Skilled Workforce: All staff and subcontractors working for LMS Highways are highly trained and meticulously chosen.
• Bespoke Equipment: We utilise bespoke plant and machinery designed for optimal performance.
• Innovative Materials: LMS specialises in high early strength concrete, we’ll always use the most appropriate materials to fit a clients budgets and timelines.

In five weekends, LMS Highways completed the removal and the reinstatement of over 167 cubic metres of concrete and 6.7 tonnes of steel placed within the concrete bays.

• 17 Shifts
• 418+ Tonnes of Concrete Removed
• 167+ Cubic Metres of Concrete Installed
• 6.7 Tonnes of Steel
• 423+ Linear Metres of Joint Sealing Installed

“Never apprehensive about working with LMS on our Network. Always professional and courteous. Excellent safety working practices. Great Team and top quality workmanship” – Claire Dean, Route Manager for Balfour Beatty