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

  • Road Markings to reduce fatal wrong-way driving
    October 31, 2012
    The latest road marking systems have been used to reduce potentially fatal wrong-way driving and promote the recent EURO 2012 football tournament in Poland and Ukraine. Guy Woodford reports According to statistics quoted by leading road marking firm Geveko, a total of 1,753 people were killed in the United States in wrong-way driving accidents from1996-2000. Wrong-way driving is also a significant issue across Europe and other parts of the world. Work to combat the potentially lethal activity took place re
  • Aquajet's new hybrid hydrodemolition robot
    February 27, 2012
    In what it says is a "a world first," Swedish specialist company Aquajet Systems has introduced a new diesel/electric-powered hybrid hydrodemolition robot offering a wide range of new features, including pollution-free operation in enclosed areas in electric-mode.
  • Cleveland Bridge on A1 project in the UK
    February 7, 2017
    Cleveland Bridge UK has delivered a significant upgrade project on the A1 in North Yorkshire, England, with the fabrication and installation of eight bridges. Using British-made steel, the 20-month project was completed with the installation of the 53m Fort Overbridge. The work was carried out on behalf of Highways England’s principal contractor on the A1 scheme, a Carillion and Morgan Sindall joint venture. The A1 Leeming to Barton upgrade is replacing the dual carriageway with a three-lane motorw
  • An array of barrier innovations is coming to market
    January 4, 2013
    Various developments are affecting the market for highway barriers - Mike Woof writes The global market for highway barrier products continues to see the introduction of new products and new standards. Some standards for barriers are also eagerly awaited and clarification is still required of the regulations surrounding motorcycle-safe barrier types. In recognition of the issues concerning bad weather on Europe’s roads in winter periods, a new amendment has been made to the EN1317 standard for safety barrie