Feeder Road to the A421 | Bedford
Leca® LWA is a key constituent in a unique embankment constructed using discarded tyre bales which won the prestigious Fleming Award for excellence for the Balfour Beatty/Scott Wilson (now URS Scott Wilson) geotechnical team.
The Highways Agency awarded the Early Contractor Involvement contract to the A421 improvement scheme in Bedford to Balfour Beatty Major CivilEngineering and their designer URS/Scott Wilson in November 2005. Further cost analysis of the initial design indicated that tyre bales would provide a substantial cost saving and approximately 350,000 tyres were used in the four layers of bales used within the embankment. Over 11,000m³ of Leca® LWA was required to complete this technically advanced, awardwinning geotechnical design.Leca® LWA this is now a proven and recognised construction application. We are very proud to have won the Fleming Award, instituted by Cementation Skanska, which recognises our excellence in design and construction innovation.” Phil Clifton, Balfour Beatty’s project director, emphasises the sustainability of the used tyre application: “Road building can offer a substantial capacity for the inclusion of used tyres, removing them from incineration or shredding, which are both expensive disposal methods. Coupled with the drainage and stability attributes of