Skip to main content

Seal of approval for Sika

Skikaflex Construction by UK-based Sika was chosen by Skanska Balfour Beatty Joint Venture to seal movement joints during the widening of one of Europe’s busiest motorways. The M25, also known as the London Orbital, handles around 200,000 vehicles every day on its busiest sections. Its widening between junctions 27 and 30 is said to be delivering much needed extra capacity to tackle congestion and improve journey times.
June 22, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Skikaflex Construction  by UK-based Sika was chosen by 2296 Skanska 1146 Balfour Beatty Joint Venture to seal movement joints during the widening of one of Europe’s busiest motorways.

The M25, also known as the London Orbital, handles around 200,000 vehicles every day on its busiest sections. Its widening between junctions 27 and 30 is said to be delivering much needed extra capacity to tackle congestion and improve journey times.

In 2002, the London Orbital Multi Model Study (ORBIT) was tasked with addressing the problem. The ORBIT report recommended that most of the dual 3 lane sections of the M25 should be widened to 4 lanes.

The widening project is being carried out by Skanska Balfour Beatty Joint Venture for Connect Plus, working on behalf of the 2309 Highways Agency, as part of the Design Build Finance and Operate Contract for the M25.                                                   

Said to be a high performance product, Sikaflex Construction (SC) has been used to seal the vertical movement joints of the newly constructed reinforced concrete walls at the Emergency Access Routes situated behind the embankment piers of the widened motorway section.  It has also been used to seal the horizontal movement joints of the newly constructed reinforced concrete pier protection and pier strengthening at various bridge locations between junctions 27 and 30.

SC was used to create what was said to be a 100% watertight seal. A one part polyurethane sealant, it is also described as a versatile sealant that can be used for a variety of construction and civil engineering purposes. Said to be easy to install and environmentally friendly, the SC is stain resistant and can be over painted. Crucially, once installed it provides a seal that is impregnable by water, dirt, dust and chemicals.

Available in four standard colours, SC is supplied in 600cc foil sausages for easy on site application by gun. Conforming to ISO 11600 Class F25HM/F20LM, it offers a cost effective method of sealing construction joints of up to 35mm.

Chosen for what was said to be its tear resistance and ability to withstand dirt, water and chemical attack, Sika said its SC provided the ideal solution to protect the concrete retaining walls on the M25.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Intelligent road studs aim to make roads safer
    February 9, 2012
    High-tech road markings are being used in a bid make roads safer in Europe as Patrick Smith reports Intelligent road studs are being installed on two of the busiest sections of the main roads heading towards the port of Dover in County Kent, south-east England.
  • M25 maintenance contract for Tarmac in UK
    May 25, 2017
    Contractor Tarmac has won a deal that will see the firm carrying out maintenance work on the UK’s M25 motorway. The contract is worth some £10 million/year and is for M25 operator and maintenance company, Connect Plus. The M25 motorway is one of the busiest road links in Europe and runs around UK capital London. The agreement will be for a period of up to 12 years and will see Tarmac carrying out resurfacing work for a total of 440km of motorway as well as the key link roads around London. Tarmac will also
  • Quick to install embankment support
    February 17, 2012
    Technology from Tensar played a vital role along the Dishforth-Leeming section of the North Yorkshire A1 improvement work in northern England where new carriageways are being built adjacent to the existing in-use highway.
  • Drain protection pads provide temporary seal
    March 14, 2012
    UltraTech International has produced a range of transparent covered drain protection pads, which the company says will end guesswork over drain seal effectiveness. The pads enable contractors to swiftly establish if spills are entering the drain through cracks in the surface, imperfections in the grating, or other irregularities that can break the seal.