Skip to main content

Connect Plus joins Highways Agency’s plea to drivers to take care through road works

Connect Plus, the design, build, finance and operating company for southern England’s M25 and its adjoining trunk routes, last week joined with the Highways Agency to convey vital messages to drivers passing through road works. The company, a joint venture consisting of Balfour Beatty, Skanska, Atkins and Egis Projects SA, was participating in the Highways Agency Road Worker Safety Week (21-28 October), which aimed to get across to the public some of the dangers road workers face in their work close to fas
October 30, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Connect Plus staff with members of the public at South Mimms services during the UK’s Road Safety Week

Connect Plus, the design, build, finance and operating company for southern England’s M25 and ITS adjoining trunk routes, last week joined with the 2309 Highways Agency to convey vital messages to drivers passing through road works.

The company, a joint venture consisting of 1146 Balfour Beatty, 2296 Skanska, 3005 Atkins and 2376 EGIS Projects SA, was participating in the Highways Agency Road Worker Safety Week (21-28 October), which aimed to get across to the public some of the dangers road workers face in their work close to fast moving traffic. In the last three years, eight road workers have lost their lives in accidents at the UK roadside.

Connect Plus, which maintains the M25 and employs over 200 road workers, held an information session at Cobham Services where the public were able to view the latest awareness videos about road worker safety and talk to road workers about some of the dangers they face.  A similar session was held at South Mimms services.  

Connect Plus has been working with the Highways Agency and ITS supply chain partners to reduce the risks road workers face, including trialling systems to reduce live carriageway crossings (one of the greatest risks for road workers) by nearly half, as well as introducing vehicles which offer greater protection from collisions.

To support Road Worker Safety Week, Connect Plus also jointly funded the first ever national road worker safety radio campaign, ‘Take Extra Care’, which is being broadcast until 2 November and features three hard-hitting messages focusing on the lack of awareness of some drivers of road workers.

Tim Jones, chief executive of Connect Plus, said,  “Some drivers still find it acceptable to put road workers’ lives in danger by not taking enough care when they pass through road works and this can have tragic consequences.

“Our road workers deserve to work in an environment as safe as that of any other and we fully support the Highways Agency’s campaign to increase awareness among motorists of the need to respect road works.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK road maintenance industry’s new safe driving through roadworks radio campaign
    October 22, 2013
    Leading UK road maintenance companies have this week joined together with the Highways Agency to launch a national radio campaign to ask drivers to ‘take extra care’ through roadworks. Messages being aired on commercial radio stations across England from 21st October-3rd November consist of a series of three hard-hitting messages to raise awareness among the public of the need to drive safely through roadworks.
  • New safer road workzone practices
    September 15, 2014
    In the UK, the construction business Connect Plus Services is implementing new practices that reduce the need for crossings of live carriageways. These practices are expected to save the lives of road construction workers. Connect Plus Services is the company that has the contract to maintain, operate and upgrade the M25 motorway around London over a 30-year period. The contract is carried out on behalf of the Highways Agency. The firm has developed a new method of managing traffic approaching road construc
  • Speeding repairs of concrete motorway
    April 2, 2014
    A novel technique is now being introduced in the UK that can help cut construction costs, as well as the time needed for road repairs. Connect Plus, the company that finances, operates and upgrades the 400km M25 network on behalf of the UK’s Highways Agency, has pioneered an innovative method for the replacement of life-expired concrete motorway The introduction of this method is helping reduce the delays experienced by drivers by as much as 80% in the sections of road where it is now being implemented.
  • Balfour included on major UK Highways Agency framework contract
    November 7, 2014
    Balfour wins place on major UK Highways Agency road framework contract Balfour Beatty’s UK construction business has been appointed by the UK’s Highways Agency to a new collaborative framework contract for projects totalling more than US$3.95 billion (£2.5 billion). Under the framework arrangement, Balfour is one of five contractors that the agency can call upon to deliver individual projects worth between $160 million and $713 million (£100 million and £450 million) on Lot 3B of the Collaborative Del