FM Conway has won a prestigious three year contract with Dover Harbour Board to reconstruct and resurface the port’s busy access routes and large vehicle parks within the port. The contract has been awarded to FM Conway after a lengthy tender process and one of the major factors for this contract being awarded was the company’s strong green credentials.
The contract is based around small and large individual paving projects within the Eastern Docks, which can range in time scales from three weeks to six months. The first phase of work, which started in early May, was to fully reconstruct 50 per cent of the B Park, a vehicle parking area in the Eastern Docks with a combination of HBM Sub-base and three layers of flexible paving, comprising of HDM base course and SMA binder and surface course.
Further works are scheduled at the Eastern Docks throughout 2011, including the resurfacing of the Car Inward Lanes, Police Station Road and the first phase of reconstruction works to D Park. The first phase of the E Park reconstruction works are programmed to commence in early January 2012.
Multiple divisions will work in tandem to complete these contracts within the port over the next three years and the Structures Maintenance, Surfacing, Lining and Cleansing divisions will all have a specific role to play in these ongoing reconstruction and maintenance works.
Currently FM Conway’s workforce at the port consists of a full time contracts manager and 10 operatives, made up of foremen, machine operators, skilled and general operatives, who work on these projects and the Small Works Term Maintenance projects within the Eastern and Western Docks.
FM Conway invests heavily in recycling technologies and aims to recycle all waste arising from the ongoing works at Dover Harbour as locally as possible. All waste will be recycled by local company Ovendens to recycle all waste from this project which will minimise the transportation distance for materials. At present, FM Conway reuses or recycles up to 95 per cent of its waste and aims to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2012.
Long life surfaces will be installed which are more sustainable and environmentally friendly, with the existing block paving area being replaced with either asphalt or reinforced concrete paving. All the main roadways are being constructed with concrete paving and the vehicle parks being surfaced in asphalt. This will greatly reduce future maintenance to the areas and will also make this maintenance easier to undertake, minimising the amount of maintenance time and disruption to the ports operations. This will also help in reducing the quantity of raw materials used and the amount of waste produced.
Nigel Digweed, Project Coordinator and Senior Contracts Manager for FM Conway, said: “FM Conway are very pleased to have been awarded this three year project with Dover Harbour Board. Resurfacing the harbour’s docks whilst keeping the port open will be a complex challenge, but by programming these schemes at an early stage we hope to minimise disruption to the port’s operators and customers.”
Nigel Bodell, Projects and Development Manager for Dover Harbour Board, said: “We awarded FM Conway the three-year contract as they have strong green credentials. We are keen to improve our sustainability and be more environmentally friendly, and their asphalt surface will minimise the maintenance needed which can affect the running of the port’s operations.”
The Principal Paving Projects contract between FM Conway and Dover Harbour Board will run until 2013, with an option for a one year extension.
