Skip to main content

Communications systems key to tunnel safety

Paul Ducker Systems (PDS), a sub-contractor to Balfour Beatty Engineering Services, has appointed Team Simoco to provide communication systems for the new A3 Hindhead road tunnel and the refurbishment of the A1 Hatfield road tunnel. Specialising in supplying transportation infrastructure for tunnels and road networks, PDS also provides solutions to metro, rail and airport operators, and the Hindhead and Hatfield road tunnels, near London, are the latest contracts to be won by the company. PDS has selecte
May 15, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Hindhead road tunnel.
Paul Ducker Systems (PDS), a sub-contractor to 1146 Balfour Beatty Engineering Services, has appointed Team Simoco to provide communication systems for the new A3 Hindhead road tunnel and the refurbishment of the A1 Hatfield road tunnel.

Specialising in supplying transportation infrastructure for tunnels and road networks, PDS also provides solutions to metro, rail and airport operators, and the Hindhead and Hatfield road tunnels, near London, are the latest contracts to be won by the company.

PDS has selected Team Simoco to design and implement an extensive communication system for the tunnels, with each requiring GSM mobile, Airwave, fireground, DAB, voice-break in and a dedicated PMR radio system.
Chief executive of Team Simoco, Ian Carr, says: “Both the Hindhead and Hatfield road tunnels are designed to offer vehicles more convenient and quicker journeys, but due to the high volumes of traffic that travel along these routes, it is imperative that the communication systems in place offer reliable and uninterruptable access in case of accidents or fires.

“Team Simoco has extensive experience of confined space radio engineering, leaky feeder technology and the specific signal propagation challenges of combining multiple radio services in enclosed environments such as tunnels. This expertise enabled us to work with PDS to design the best operational solution for the Hindhead and Hatfield tunnels.”

Located in County Surrey, between London and Portsmouth, the Hindhead twin-bore road tunnel is designed to remove traffic congestion from the A3 and the local road network. Work began on the project in 2007 and the tunnel is scheduled to open to traffic in summer 2011. The Hatfield road tunnel in Hertfordshire is also due to be reopened to traffic in the summer of 2011.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Bilbao benefits from major tunnel project
    February 10, 2012
    The northern Spanish city of Bilbao looks set to benefit from a major tunnel construction project aimed at reducing traffic congestion on its vehicle clogged streets. The city is building a new underground metro section, Line 3, which will help carry commuters to and from the city's commercial centre and help reduce vehicle journey times on the surface. This project is also making use of the latest piece of tunnelling equipment from Sandvik, the MT520 roadheader, a powerful machine designed and built at
  • A new road maintenance approach developed jointly can improve efficiency
    April 11, 2013
    Innovative road maintenance solutions in Austria. A sophisticated system for managing maintenance tasks has been developed in Austria to meet the specific needs of a highway concession package. Bonaventura Straßenerhaltungs-GmbH is a 100%-owned business of the French company Egis Road Operation S.A., and was founded to provide the road maintenance services of the first Austrian PPP infrastructure project "Ypsilon"(PPP-Ostregion, Paket 1) granted by ASFINAG. The concessionaire won a 30-year contract in 2006
  • Parsons wins award for Caldecott Tunnel
    November 8, 2013
    Parsons has won an award for its work on the Caldecott Fourth Bore Project. The award comes from Roads & Bridges magazine as the top (US) road project of 2013. Parsons worked as prime consultant on the US$417 million tunnel project, working with Jacobs Associates. The project involved constructing a fourth bore through the Berkeley Hills, near Oakland, California. Parsons was responsible for preliminary engineering and the final design of the tunnel, the operations building, and two associated roadway proje
  • RoadPeace road safety drive for the UK
    May 13, 2024
    RoadPeace is launching its road safety drive for the UK.