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

  • Lanes Group praised for helping fast-track UK jam-busting road
    October 16, 2015
    The UK drainage and maintenance specialist Lanes Group has helped deliver the new A453 dual-carriageway in the county of Nottinghamshire, one of England’s worst congestion areas. Main contractor Laing O'Rourke managed the two-and-a-half-year project that included the widened commuter route from Junction 24 of the M1 motorway to the A52 highway in Nottingham city centre at a cost of US$265 million. The new road - named Remembrance Way in honour of the 453 British soldiers who lost their lives in Afgha
  • Lower Thames Crossing contracts awarded by National Highways
    December 8, 2023
    Lower Thames Crossing contracts have been awarded by National Highways.
  • Innovative surface treatment for concrete road
    July 30, 2019
    An innovative surface treatment approach by Foster Contracting Limited has been developed for use on a £745million roads project in Aberdeen, Scotland. The specialist contractor, Foster Contracting Limited (FCL), has played a key role in a major project, to build the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie-Tipperty (AWPR/B-T). AWPR Construction Joint Venture, the contractor appointed to design and construct the project, approached FCL to provide a customised treatment to remove the latency from the sl
  • Graphene-enhanced pavements join UK Live Labs programme
    September 1, 2020
    While some parts of the world are on pause, road construction and new technology trials are still underway, as these stories demonstrate - Kristina Smith reports