Skip to main content

Crack infill system ideal reinstatement solution

Overnight repair work on a major English motorway has avoided the major traffic disruption and significantly increased road surfacing costs that would have occurred if left untreated.
February 17, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Overnight repair work on a major English motorway has avoided the major traffic disruption and significantly increased road surfacing costs that would have occurred if left untreated.

The problem affecting a large stretch of the M42 close to Birmingham Airport and the nearby NEC Arena in the Midlands region was completed using highways maintenance products from 2314 Stirling Lloyd. It concerned fretted joints in the wheel tract to the road surface.

Faced with the prospect of completely removing the road surface if left untreated, Amey Area 9 (sole provider to the 2309 Highways Agency of management services and maintenance of the motorway network throughout the Midlands) quickly set out to find an effective and durable repair method.

Its search concluded that Stirling Lloyd's HAPAS [Highways Authorities Product Approval Scheme]-approved Safetrack Crack Infill system "was the ideal reinstatement solution." Based on an advanced, fast-curing reactive resin, this high-performance road maintenance system is designed to arrest further decay of the road surface by filling cracks or fretted joints, supporting the edges of the asphalt while preventing water penetration.

Given the stretch of motorway affected and the heavy traffic experienced along this route, Amey Area 9 understandably wanted to test the system on an initial 100m section of the road over a six-week period before committing to the full works. The Safetrack Crack Infill system proved highly successful, both in application and performance, so was selected to complete the remainder of the repair, approximately 17,000m.

To minimise disruption to motorists the works were carried out over a series of night-time closures between 11pm and 4am. Within this five-hour window, specialist contractor, Line Markings, had to set out the traffic management, prepare the crack, apply the Safetrack Crack Infill and remove the traffic control.

Despite the tight time constraint the system's simple but speedy application technique and its fast cure enabled the treatment of approximately 1,000m of motorway per night shift.

Line Markings was able to complete the works in under three weeks, one week ahead of schedule. According to Stirling Lloyd, so impressed was Amey Area 9 with the performance and speed of Safetrack's application that the contractor was asked to return a few weeks later and complete the reinstatement of a further 3,600m of the motorway.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Safety barriers improve highway safety
    July 3, 2012
    Highway safety could yet improve using available technology more widely Safety barriers still offer huge opportunities to improve accident statistics worldwide. There is a wide array of products on the market to suit all types of installation and with a diverse range of solutions for each application. Highway authorities have been installing barriers for many years now and the technology continues to improve, however an analysis of accident statistics shows that barriers offer further potential. Details fr
  • The MBT-1 from Mobile Barriers now protecting workers in the UK
    August 14, 2019
    Two giant US-made 21m-long mobile barriers are now keeping highway maintenance workers safe in England.
  • Reflective road markings an aid to road safety
    February 8, 2012
    Horizontal and high-tech in-road markings are all being used in a bid to keep roads safe as Patrick Smith reports. Many modern roads, especially in urban areas, are equipped with the latest technology to guide drivers and, more importantly, improve safety.
  • Optimising traffic control ensures efficient use of infrastructure
    April 10, 2013
    Central and local governments are facing many challenges, not least a shortage of funds due to budget restraints in the US and Europe in particular. In other markets, ensuring efficient traffic flow is the priority, with monitoring of network status being a key tool. New technology for traffic monitoring plays a crucial role and the sector is keen to introduce new and more efficient systems. The Transport Research laboratory (TRL) has long been a pioneer of traffic control technologies and its latest MAAPc