Due to the heavily trafficked nature of the site at the A200, Tooley Street, Tarmac ULTILAYER was chosen as the resurfacing solution. The road runs between London Bridge and Tower Bridge on the Southbank of the River Thames.

The challenge
To the south of the A200 lies London Bridge Station, the fourth busiest in the UK with more than 53m passengers each year. The station has recently undergone a £1bn upgrade and resurfacing was programmed to take place once the heavy lifting equipment had left the site. The project was critical to Transport for London (TfL) due to the volume of traffic, the impact on public transport (Buses, Underground, National Rail & Taxis) and the fact that it is the main arterial route serving City Hall, the office of The Mayor of London. Due to these factors, it was important to keep road closures to a minimum.

The Solution
After considering the heavily trafficked nature of the site and challenging timescales ULTILAYER was chosen as the resurfacing solution. ULTILAYER can be laid quickly in a single layer up to 70mm thick. By replacing the binder and surface course, it can significantly speed up installation and reduces programme times. It also uses a polymer modified binder for a more flexible and durable surface that resists cracking and deformation from heavy trafficking. This durability has been proven on some of the UK’s busiest and most challenging roads, including Oxford Street in London. Since part of the scheme ran under a busy railway bridge, Tarmac scheduled walking floor vehicles to meet clearance restrictions, simplify logistics and prevent delays to the programme.

Results and Benefits
A full road closure was put in place from Friday evening through to 4:00am on Monday morning. Around 1,400 tonnes of planings were removed from the site in 32 lorry loads. Resurfacing then commenced, with 1,391 tonnes of ULTILAYER S 14 PMB PSV 65 supplied from Tarmac’s Asphalt Plants at Hayes and Hothfield on alternate shifts to ensure a continuous supply of material. Harper Lane plant was on standby during the works to provide back-up if necessary. As expected, work progressed quickly. The material was delivered and installed so successfully that the road was handed back to the client on the Sunday evening, a whole shift ahead of schedule. This reduced road closures and disruption on this critical route and resulted in considerable cost savings for the client.