Building Briefs – November 4th

The Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie-Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) project is expected to take delivery of 27 large beams this weekend to enable the contractor to construct the North Deeside Road bridge and Fishermyre to Clayfold Road bridge.

The deliveries for North Deeside Road will take place on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 November and will include six beams at 44m long, which will have a police escort, and six beams at 29m long, which will be self-escorted.

On Saturday 5 November, the abnormal load trucks for the 29m long beams plan to travel via Wellington Road (A956) before turning left onto West Tullos Road. They will then turn travel onto Great Southern Road and continue to the Bridge of Dee Roundabout. They will then continue straight ahead onto Leggart Terrace and out the B9077 to Milltimber Brae before travelling up Milltimber Brae to site.

On Sunday 6 November, the abnormal load trucks for the 44m long beams will follow the same route as above. However, for safety reasons, three-way temporary traffic signals will be in operation at Milltimber Brae and South Deeside Road between 9.30am and 3.30pm. While the three separate deliveries are underway, road users could be stopped by a red light for around 15 minutes while the abnormal load trucks reverse up Milltimber Brae.

Local parking restrictions will be in place to allow the beams to be safely unloaded from the delivery vehicles and placed into position.

The deliveries for the Fishermyre to Clayfolds Road Bridge (U88K) will involve fifteen 33m long beams, which are expected on Friday 4 November and Saturday 5 November.

The abnormal load trucks plan to travel north via the A90 before turning left onto Auquorthies (Auquorthies to Ury Road – U89K), just after the Stonehaven Junction. They will then travel along the narrow road before entering the site, where they will then continue along the haul route until they reach the location of the new bridge.

As part of these works, and beam installation, Fishermyre to Clayfolds Road (U88K) is planned to close between 6am Friday 4 November until 8pm on Friday 11 November. A diversion will be sign-posted.

Transport Scotland timings given are accurate at the time of issue but are subject to change at short notice.

The AWPR/B-T project is expected to bring in an additional £6 billion to the north-east economy and create around 14,000 jobs over the next 30 years, including more than 1,000 jobs for the construction industry. There will also be tangible benefits for the business community and road users with better journey time reliability and reduced congestion.

More information on major traffic management works being undertaken on behalf of the AWPR/B-T can be found on the project site at: www.transport.gov.scot/road/aberdeen-western-peripheral-route/traffic-management

Official ground cutting for Perth road infrastructure scheme

A major new transport infrastructure project which paves the way for the expansion of Perth City is now under way following an official ground breaking ceremony.

Councillor Ian Miller, leader of Perth & Kinross Council, was joined by fellow Councillors, contractor Balfour Beatty, and representatives of the Scape Civil Engineering and Infrastructure National framework, on the site of construction work to deliver a new A9/A85 junction and link road to Bertha Park in the west of the city.

The scheme is the first phase of the Perth Transport Futures Project, the objectives of which are to improve air quality in the city centre, alleviate current and future traffic congestion, and provide essential roads infrastructure to support economic growth.

The ‘Perth Transport Futures Project’ has four phases, and will ultimately include the development of the Cross Tay Link Road, which will further enhance the transport network in and around Perth.

Phase 1 of the Project, which has been developed by the Council’s Roads Infrastructure Team and designed by consultants CH2M, includes:

• a grade separated interchange between the A9 and the A85

• a link road between the new interchange and the Bertha Park development site

• two new roads connecting the A85 to the new interchange

• a roundabout on Ruthvenfield Road

• a bridge over the River Almond

• a footbridge over the A9 linking Tulloch to Inveralmond Industrial Estate

• a culvert for Perth Lade under the A9

The works are due for completion in Spring 2019.

Councillor Miller said: “Today is an important milestone in the development of Perth’s ambitions to allow the economic, and physical growth of the city. This is a hugely significant project, which will bring benefits for both local and through traffic, improve air quality in the city, and unlock land for business and housing development.

Work starts on 70 new Glasgow homes at Milton

Work has started on 70 new homes for social rent in the first phase of a major regeneration project in a Glasgow community.

Cube Housing Association, part of Wheatley Group, is behind the development of flats and terraced houses which are being built on empty land in Liddesdale Road in Milton by contractor City Building (Contracts)..

The £7.4 million first phase of 70 new homes is being partly funded through a grant from Glasgow City Council and from Wheatley Group’s £300million pot of private finance raised on the capital bond markets in late 2014 to help increase the supply of affordable housing.

The new homes, which include 19 amenity flats specially adapted for older people and nine for wheelchair users, are the first to be built in the community since 2001 when Cube completed 35 homes nearby.

Future phases of the regeneration project in Milton will see GHA, also part of Wheatley Group, demolish unpopular tenements and, subject to planning and grant approval, build 54 energy-efficient new homes for social rent in Cathay Street and a further 50 homes for mid-market rent on Scaraway Street.

GHA and Cube are also upgrading and modernising their existing homes in the area with GHA carrying out £9m of improvements over the next five years. Cube will also be installing new kitchens and showers in its homes in the area.

Councillor George Redmond, Executive Member for Jobs, Business and Investment, today joined Cube Vice Chair Peter Kelly, residents, staff from Cube and City Building and Cube Board members to mark the start of the work.

Cube Director David MacKenzie said: “The 70 new homes we’re building for older people and for families in this first phase will provide the kind of housing people have told us they want. But this will be just the start. By working with our partners in Wheatley and Glasgow City Council we’re playing a part in what will be a major transformation of the community over the next few years.”

The 70 homes will range from one-bedroom flats to three-bedroom houses and are due to be finished by spring 2018.

SELECT in push to make “Electrician” a regulated profession

SELECT, the campaigning trade body for the electro-technical industry in Scotland, has signalled to the Scottish Parliament that it intends to press hard to make the occupation of electrician a regulated profession in the same way that anyone working with gas is currently required by statute to be regulated.

Presenting the Scottish Committee MSP of the Year Award at The Herald newspaper’s Scottish Politician of the Year event in Edinburgh, SELECT’s head of external affairs, David Wright, said that the risk posed to Scotland’s householders increases with every passing year as the number of untrained individuals portraying themselves as ‘electricians’ gets bigger and bigger.

He said: “for instance, I’m an economist by training but if I wished, I could start up in business as an electrician tomorrow - but it would not be a good idea. Incredibly, it is not illegal to do that – but we believe that it most certainly should be. So that, when we are in our homes of an evening, we can enjoy the same protection from electrical risks as we currently do from gas faults.”

Mr Wright said that before Christmas the Minister and the Scottish Government’s ‘Better Regulation’ team will receive a report from SELECT which puts the case for statutory “Regulation of Electrician as a Profession” to bring Scotland into line with other civilised European countries”.

Newell McGuiness, SELECT’s managing director, said: “It has been a long standing goal of ours to achieve Regulation for our industry because the population of Scotland is being exposed to unreasonable risks associated with electrocution and fire without even being aware of this.

“Last night we announced our intention to secure the support of Scotland’s politicians – and of the general public to deliver statutory regulation for our industry. Many occupations from lawyer and doctor to bodyguard and night club bouncer are regulated in the UK but Electrician is not one of them.

“Electrical installation is a safety critical occupation and it’s time for Scotland’s politicians to acknowledge that where there is electricity, there is danger - and to do the right thing”.

SELECT’s 1200 members account for around 90 per cent of all electrical installation work carried out in Scotland and have a collective turnover of around £1 billion, providing employment for some 15,000 electricians.

Falls from height: PASMA welcomes long-term downward trend

PASMA, the trade association representing the international mobile access tower industry, has welcomed the reduction in the number of fatalities resulting from falls from height as published in the HSE’s annual ill-health and injury statistics announced on 2 November 2016.

Fatalities are down from 42 in 2014/15 to 37 in 2015/16, and total reported non-fatal injuries from 6,165 to 5,956 respectively.

However, of the 144 workers killed at work in 2015/16, falls from height still accounted for the highest percentage at 26 per cent, with ‘struck by moving vehicle’ at 19 per cent and ‘struck by moving object’ at 10 per cent.

18 of the fatal falls occurred in the construction sector, seven in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector, and four in manufacturing.

Comments PASMA’s managing director, Peter Bennett: “The downward trend is clearly encouraging, but behind the numbers are families, friends and colleagues whose lives will never be the same again.”

“As an organisation PASMA is totally committed to supporting the HSE’s new health and safety system strategy Helping Great Britain Work Well, and its long running construction industry initiative Working Well Together.”