Balfour Beatty’s joint venture with Jones Bros Ruthin (Civil Engineering) is now hoping for an autumn 2017 start on its A487 Caernarfon to Bontnewydd Bypass project in North Wales.

The pairing won an early contractor involvement contract for £65.5m just over 19 months ago with the hope that construction work would start this year. Work on the bypass, which is budgeted to cost £90m including land, had previously been facing delays because of talks over wildlife concerns.

The Welsh Government has now moved the project forward publishing draft orders for the six-mile A487 bypass, allowing individuals and organisations the chance to submit objections to the route.

A public inquiry may be held in the winter/spring, with construction beginning in the autumn of 2017. The job running from Goat roundabout (A499 / A487 junction) and terminating at the Plas Menai Roundabout will involve constructing 22 structures including culverts and seven bridges. Three quarters of the cost of the scheme is targeted to be spent with local Welsh suppliers.

Video fly through of proposed Caernarfon to Bontnewydd bypass

Constructing Excellence in Wales has launched a free iPhone app to help divert waste from landfill when builders and trades people carry out renovation and repairs for homeowners. Called Skip Advisor, the app gives advice on what their responsibilities are, estimates how much waste each project will generate and highlights where to find Green Compass waste management companies across Wales.

The app also has a useful project estimator which lets users assess how much waste a renovation / new build is likely to generate so that skip disposal can be allowed for before work begins. Best practice guidance is also available on the app.

Download Skip Advisor today at iTunes

Transport for Wales is preparing to open prequalification for the construction of the £700m South Wales Metro transport project. Phase two of the Metro scheme was confirmed in July last year in a bid to improve public transport across Cardiff and the surrounding areas.

Transport for Wales has appointed consultancy firm Mott MacDonald to provide advisory expertise during the procurement process, which is due to start within the next few months after publication of an OJEU prior informational notice.

Much of the project will be funded from UK and Welsh Government city deal, with £100m earmarked from the European Union’s Regional Development Fund raising doubts about this part of the finance package after the Brexit vote.

Under the present plan electrification of the Valley Lines, will commence in 2019 and be completed by 2022/23.

Several engineering contractors will be appointed to a framework broken down into three key areas covering traction power supply, civil works and permanent way works.

Firms will be selected for early contractor involvement to develop detailed designs ahead of the award of NEC ECC construction contracts.

Formal invitations to tender will be issued next June. Further information is available by registering with the Sell2Wales website.

Willmott Dixon is nearing the completion of three new primary schools and is working with the Enabling Zero Waste team at Constructing Excellence in Wales (CEW). The schools are being built as part of a £15.6million project which will provide a total of 1050 pupil places in Torfaen.

• Blenheim Road Community Primary School – replacement on the current site, 315 pupil places
• Ysgol Panteg – replacement of the Griffithstown and Kemys Fawr sites on a new site on Station Road, 420 pupil places
• Llantarnam Community Primary School – replacement on the site of Llantarnam secondary school, 315 pupil places

All three primary schools are based on the same design, giving Blenheim Road and Llantarnam the potential to expand to 420 places in the future. Utilising a similar design offers the Enabling Zero Waste (EZW) team at CEW a unique opportunity to directly compare waste production.

Canteen and office waste was highlighted by the Willmott Dixon team as a particular issue. Historically this waste was all collected in black bags and disposed of in the mixed waste skips. Data provided by Willmott Dixon suggested that canteen and office waste filled a third of mixed waste skips. This has led to a pilot project with Torfaen County Borough Council (TCBC). TCBC is collecting food waste and segregated recyclates from the canteen and office facilities on site. This scheme has garnered interest from the Welsh Local Government Association. Benefits include:

• Increased diversion from landfill for recyclates and food waste
• Fewer collections of mixed waste skips from construction sites; reducing the number of skip lorries on the roads in Torfaen
• Lower mixed skip weights reducing waste disposal costs
• Increased recycling rates
• Increased throughput for digestion facilities

If you would like to find out more about Enabling Zero Waste, please visit our website  ; follow @EZWaste_Wales or call a member of the team on 02920 493322.

Last year’s event was a great success, with over £5000 raised for Mencap Cymru. FBE would love to see as many people as possible join them this year; it’s a great day out & a good chance to network with other teams & individuals within the built environment sector.

Registration for the event is via the FBE website; link below:

http://www.fbeonline.co.uk/cambria/events/fbe-cambria-route-88-cycle-ride.htm

They will be setting up a justgiving page imminently to ensure the fundraising proceeds go directly to the RNLI. This will be accessed from:

https://www.justgiving.com/rnli