Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd

BBCEL Southern promotes innovative piling solution

13 June 2006

Environmentally-friendly option promises significant benefits over conventional concrete piles.

An innovative alternative piling solution for Motorway Variable Message Sign (VMS) foundations is currently being implemented on our M4 NMIS Phase 5 project for the Highways Agency.

Our Southern Division has promoted and progressed the “Box Pile” foundation through a number of projects over the past four years. The foundation involves the installation of between four AU25 sheet piles, panned out and linked with Omega bar clutches, to form a circular pile measuring 1,300mm in diameter. A concrete cap is then formed, into which the holding down bolts are cast.

There are significant benefits in this form of construction over the conventional insitu concrete pile and reinforced concrete pile cap arrangement:

• This solution is more environmentally friendly due to the absence of pile arisings and a reduced need for importing concrete and reinforcements.
• The installation can also be completely removed and recycled if required in the future.
• The time required to construct these foundations is substantially reduced, minimising our exposure to the hazardous roadside working environment and minimising potential disruption to the travelling public.

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