Despite the wet and wintry conditions during January and February, work was completed ahead of the schedule promised to Network Rail. The team worked carefully with a number of environmental requirements including the effective handling of an amount of contaminated material which was encountered unexpectedly on the site. Restricted access to the site required the coordination and management of around 600 lorry movements across a rail line and down a single lane road each day.

Our clients Network Rail and DHL have expressed their satisfaction with our service and have congratulated the site team on their performance. 

Sarah Jansons, Property Services Manager – Western and Wales for Network Rail said; “McArdle reacted with commendable urgency, over a holiday period, to a request for assistance and quickly formulated a plan which safely and effectively delivered our requirements. We were particularly pleased with their commitment to deliver the least cost solution whilst still focussing on environmental requirements and issues – even to the extent of liaising to find a home for hundreds of sapling trees displaced by the works.”

The site has now been handed over back to Network Rail for use on the Network Rail electrification project.

The children were keen to be involved in an open discussion, to learn about Jane’s career and to find out about some of the work McArdle is involved in. They also gained an understanding about how infrastructure affects them, how essential it is to their everyday lives and the environment.

The visit was arranged through ‘Learning to Work’ in Slough, who work with local employers to create activities to inspire young people and educate them about opportunities.

Hopefully McArdle has sown some seeds for budding engineers and construction workers for the future.

Enabling work includes building a compound for a recycling area, storage, emergency vehicles and a concrete batching plant. The recycling facility will be constructed along with a weighbridge and wheel washing plant. Materials for reuse on the project will be recycled from the facility. Piling platforms will also be provided for embankment strengthening works.

Works in the central reserve and verges includes clearance, earthworks, drainage and lower pavement layers.

Final year undergraduate’s displayed their innovative business plans to a group of business people from small local companies to global giants like GlaxoSmithKline. The objective was to encourage the students to work together to plan a business and to actively seek feedback from the real business world, something like ‘Dragon’s Den’. The exercise was designed to help students prepare themselves for work after graduation and improve their confidence in presenting. Steve Jagger, Director and Angelene Miller, Marketing Coordinator represented McArdle and provided advice and feedback to several groups.

Andrew Ward, Director of Corporate Relations, Brunel University commented:

“It was really impressive the way you got stuck in to the exercise and engaged so actively with the students.  They really do appreciate it and you will be surprised by the extent to which what you the advisors say does sink in!”

McArdle will be removing and replacing existing paving, street furniture, planters, drainage, ducting and utilities. The new landscaping will include two waterfall fountains, granite cladding, granite clad multi-media signs and a refurbished concierge facility building.

With planning and procurement work already underway construction work will begin in March and take around four months. Segregation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic is a key challenge to the team on this prestigious open development.

The Filton site is to be developed for the proposed electrification of the Great Western Rail line. The soil is now being transported to another development in Avonmouth.

One of the challenges the team are dealing with is the restricted access to the site requiring the coordination and management of around 500 lorry movements across a rail line and down a single lane road each day.

After agreeing the best solution McArdle plant and lorries were mobilised and the movement of the soil began immediately after Christmas. The site should be fully cleared for Network Rail in seven weeks.

James is not new to the industry having worked in construction for over 5 years. He has extensive experience of identifying and implementing improvements to accounting systems and has worked for major blue chip businesses. He will be a great asset to the company.

James is ACCA qualified and also has a BA Hons in Business Studies.

We wish him every success in his new role. Welcome James to the McArdle Group.

Philip brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge in the Construction sector, having been Chief Financial Officer at Skanska UK Plc. In this weak economy and challenging time for the construction sector Philip is a key appointment in McArdle’s aspiration for sustainable growth.

The compound is in preparation for resurfacing works, including refurbishment and strengthening of around 13 taxiway entry/exit points for the runway rehabilitation project, planned to begin in 2013.

Equipment, such as parts for the tunnelling machines which is crucial to the Crossrail programme, has been brought from mainland Europe and then transported into Crossrail by low loaders from the McArdle compounds in Colnbrook and Essex.

Some items taken to site, range from gantry cranes to tunnel segment rings and conveyor belts. The variety of items transported was at the largest, 23meters long and 15tonnes, down to parcel boxes.

McArdle have a varied fleet of Crossrail compliant lorries from 32ton tippers and hiabs to 80ton low loaders.