Skip to main content

Fast utilities inspection with Saint Gobain

A new partnership between MWay Communications, Saint-Gobain PAM UK and Stanton Bonna has resulted in an access cover installation that cuts time on site by 50%. The system also improves site safety and ensures high quality standards are met for reduced future maintenance. The innovative precast concrete motorway communications chamber slab was developed by MWay Communications. The system is now on the market through a joint venture between Saint-Gobain PAM UK and Stanton Bonna to precast the access chamb
July 6, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
A new partnership between MWay Communications, 5475 Saint-Gobain PAM UK and Stanton Bonna has resulted in an access cover installation that cuts time on site by 50%. The system also improves site safety and ensures high quality standards are met for reduced future maintenance.

The innovative precast concrete motorway communications chamber slab was developed by MWay Communications. The system is now on the market through a joint venture between Saint-Gobain PAM UK and Stanton Bonna to precast the access chamber cover slab off site. By manufacturing the access chamber slab in a factory, the partners can reduce the time for on-site installation. This makes a major reduction in overall working time.

The on-site installation is reduced to two steps: excavation and installation of the chamber before installing the precast hard standing and completing the earthworks. The installation work can be carried out in virtually all weather conditions. Saving onsite installation time improves efficiency and frees up resources for other tasks, while reducing manual handling and movement of vehicles and people on site, the solution also improves safety.

The patent pending solution combines high-quality steel reinforced precast concrete with Saint Gobain PAMs high-performance ductile iron Opt-Emax access covers and Warrior surface boxes.  

Two solutions have initially been developed: an A type chamber cover slab and a smaller B type chamber cover slab. Both have cast-in lifting anchors to aid safe offloading and installation. Once installed the Opt-Emax access cover is designed for frequent maintenance and inspection of below ground assets.  The cover sections are individually hinged to reduce lifting effort, it has a skid resistant design and security is provided using Saint-Gobain PAM’s patented T-LOK system.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Sandvik's cold road comfort
    October 4, 2012
    Two of Sandvik Construction’s (SC) highways management systems will be used to remove snow and ice on roads across Scandanavia this winter. Svevia, the main provider of winter highway maintenance in Sweden and Destia, the former Finland state road maintenance company, and maintenance crews at Arlanda airport in the Swedish capital Stockholm, will be deploying Sandvik System 2000 and Sandvik’s composite HX900 wear protection. System 2000 is said by SC to be an innovative road grading system that bolts onto y
  • Lochkov bridge construction time 'cut'
    July 17, 2012
    As part of the R1 southern orbital motorway around the Czech capital, Prague, a joint venture is building a five-span, 461m long and approximately 65m high viaduct near the village of Lochkov, as a girder bridge construction. For the two steeply inclined twin piers, Doka has supplied an automatic climbing formwork solution that obviates the need for shoring and that will "cut more than 100 days from the construction period." Cast-in-place concrete construction of bridge piers with such a steep inclination
  • The Lessons of the Genoa bridge collapse
    April 23, 2019
    The partial collapse of the Polcevera viaduct, better known as the Morandi Bridge, has prompted debate regarding the technical and administrative aspects of maintaining road infrastructures. We discussed it with the engineer Gabriele Camomilla, former Director of Research and Maintenance of the Società Autostrade, who coordinated the only major structural intervention performed on the bridge, carried out in the early 1990s
  • Merseylink wins US$3.12bn Mersey Gateway Project contract
    June 20, 2013
    Merseylink was today announced as the preferred bidder for the US$3.12 billion (£2bn) Mersey Gateway Project in North West England. Making the announcement together in the observatory in the Catalyst Museum in Widnes overlooking the River Mersey, Halton Borough Council and Merseylink also confirmed they have jointly identified savings amounting to “tens of millions of pounds” on the projected public sector contribution to the project budget.