Bachy Soletanche's interchange job

Geotechnical specialists Bachy Soletanche has started work on a new grade separated interchange on the A41 road in West Bromwich in the English Midlands for a Balfour Beatty/Birse joint venture.
February 7, 2012 Read time: 1 min
Bachy Soletanche paves the way for a new underpass to ease traffic flow
Geotechnical specialists 1485 Bachy Soletanche has started work on a new grade separated interchange on the A41 road in West Bromwich in the English Midlands for a 1146 Balfour Beatty/1486 Birse joint venture.

Worth about.£2.5 million (e2.9 million) the project consists of heavy duty CFA and cased CFA secant piling.

The hard/hard and hard/firm secant CFA piles are 600, 750 and 900mm in diameter and up to 18.5m deep, and were designed by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council's engineer, Scott Wilson, and include reinforced primary piles in the new overbridges wing walls.

Bachy Soletanche's biggest rig, a BG40, is being used for the cased CFA secant piles with the remainder being installed by a CM70. Once complete, the retaining walls will form the new underpass beneath the newly-aligned roundabout so as to improve traffic flow on the A41.

Paul Hodgson, business development manager at Bachy Soletanche, said: "This is our biggest job in the Midlands at the moment and it's crucial we stick to schedule so as little disruption occurs as possible."
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