Skip to main content

UK motorway upgrade underway

A fleet of Hitachi short-tailswing excavators have been working on the M3 smart motorway project in the counties of Hampshire and Surrey in England. Eight ZX135US-5 and ZX225USLC-5 excavators owned by Skyland Drainage Contractors, and a further two ZX225USLC-5s owned by Davey Civils, have been employed on the subcontractors’ drainage works. Having previously hired Zaxis excavators, Kent-based Davey Civils has been a Hitachi customer for one year. Both models were supplied with service contracts from Hita
December 14, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Compact equipment from Hitachi is playing a key role in an important motorway upgrade in the UK to boost traffic capacity
A fleet of 233 Hitachi short-tailswing excavators have been working on the M3 smart motorway project in the counties of Hampshire and Surrey in England. Eight ZX135US-5 and ZX225USLC-5 excavators owned by Skyland Drainage Contractors, and a further two ZX225USLC-5s owned by Davey Civils, have been employed on the subcontractors’ drainage works.

Having previously hired Zaxis excavators, Kent-based Davey Civils has been a Hitachi customer for one year. Both models were supplied with service contracts from Hitachi Construction Machinery (UK) (HCMUK) when they were delivered in January 2015.

The machines have been working alongside live traffic on the project, with barriers to protect the working area from passing vehicles. Average speed camera technology has also been employed to ensure that drivers maintain a safe speed through the workzone.

An estimated 130,000 journeys are made on the M3 daily, which links south-west London to Southampton. The figure is set to increase by 30% over the coming years. The €180 million (£129 million) smart motorway scheme – awarded to international infrastructure group 1146 Balfour Beatty in July 2014 – will increase capacity, reduce congestion and shorten journey times by up to 15% between junctions 2 and 4a. Further benefits include smoother traffic flows, fewer road traffic collisions, and reduced noise and vehicle emissions.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Installation underway of first UK M4/M5 ‘superspan’ gantries
    July 4, 2012
    The installation is underway of the first superspan gantries on the M4/M5 managed motorway scheme. The existing gantries and infrastructure were successfully removed last month while the new steel gantries were being constructed, fitted-out and tested at a dedicated facility located near junction 17 of the M5, before being delivered to the works site. A total of 33 new overhead gantries, a number of which span 50m and weigh over 30tonnes, will be installed along the new managed motorway section up until T
  • Subcontractors needed for UK’s A66 upgrade
    November 3, 2023
    Subcontractors are needed for the UK’s A66 upgrade project.
  • Tunnels - an environmentally attractive option?
    February 21, 2012
    While tunnels are often more expensive than bridges, they can offer environmentally attractive options for transport schemes. Tunnels offer environmentally attractive options for a range of transport infrastructure schemes, but in many cases high construction costs may restrict their use.
  • Beatty awarded H Agency Hull A63 Improvement Scheme
    August 8, 2014
    Balfour Beatty’s UK construction business has been awarded the €94.45 million (£75 million) A63 Castle Street improvement scheme in Hull for the Highways Agency under an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) design and build contract. The 1.5km scheme in the centre of the city in East Yorkshire, northern England will improve journey times for road users through conversion of a major interchange into a split level junction with a two-lane dual carriageway carrying east-west traffic below north-south traffic in