West Berkshire Council needed a hardwearing surfacing solution that would be able to withstand the heavy power-assisted turning and the occasional fuel spillage associated with large commercial vehicles. ULTISHIELD, Tarmac’s durable, fuel resisting asphalt, was the perfect solution.

The Challenge
The client West Berkshire Council were looking to value engineer this project to resurface a very heavily used bus station in the heart of Newbury. They needed a hardwearing surfacing solution that would be able to withstand the heavy power-assisted turning and the occasional fuel spillage associated with large commercial vehicles. The client’s key priorities were to complete the work quickly, to avoid delays for passengers and to deliver the work cost effectively, within the allocated budget. The new surface would also need to provide long term service and avoid future maintenance. Concrete was considered as an option but is labour intensive and time consuming to install over large areas, which would require extended site closure.

The Solution
West Berkshire Council and Inlay Management Services who have a close working partnership approached Tarmac to suggest possible solutions. A visit was arranged to another site: Michealwood services on the M5, that had used ULTISHIELD, Tarmac’s durable, fuel resisting asphalt. The ULTISHIELD range provides a hard wearing fuel resisting asphalt surface course that copes with lateral force loadings associated with HGV and PSV vehicles. The modified bitumen resists extremes in temperature far better than conventional bituminous materials. The client was impressed on how the material stood up to the constant HGV movement and parking, even in the high temperatures (of 25C+) recorded during the visit in July . Having seen the performance of ULTISHIELD on this site, they agreed for it to be specified for the Newbury Bus Station.

Results and Benefits
As planned, 150 tonnes of 10mm ULTISHIELD HD was supplied to the site and used to surface the approach road, boarding areas and coach stands. Work was completed on time and on budget in just two days and the bus station was reopened for use. Using ULTISHIELD HD enabled a reduction in overall time spent on site, meaning less disruption for commuters and passengers. Bruce Schoepe, Senior Engineer at from West Berkshire Council has commented that he is confident if this material performs as well as the material laid at Michealwood services this will provide a good investment in the counties network