LOR INFOWORKS 2 - Flipbook - Page 26
INFOWORKS 2019 _ ISSUE 2
25
RICHARD FAIRHURST –
BRIDGING THE GAP
The HS2 project is substantial in both its
scale and the impact it is going to have
on travel. It will mean stations in Leeds,
Sheffield, East Midlands and Birmingham
will each be separated by journeys of
less than 20 minutes. One person helping
bridge the gap between vision and
reality is Richard Fairhurst.
The senior project manager, who has
been with Laing O’Rourke for 13 years,
is the face behind the project’s major
highway changes.
Richard has been working hard on
the site of the Birmingham Interchange
Stations, ensuring the construction of
four crucial bridges is carried out safely
and effectively.
The four bridges will transform the way
the UK builds bridges, by maximising our
DfMA approach to construction. I’m proud
of achieving full consent from the local
authorities and Highways England for
the first permanent structures on HS2.
The consent gives us the permission
to make changes to the highway and
we are now manufacturing the bridge
components, ready for assembly on site.
Once complete, LM will liaise with
Highways England for a weekend
closure of the M42 next summer,
which will allow the first structure,
a 2500-tonne, 60-metre single-span
bridge to be eased into its final position.
These bridges will play a vital role in the
development of the new Birmingham
Interchange station and surrounding area.
Through planning, coordination and
liaison with the many stakeholders,
Richard and his team are aiming
to ensure any disruption is kept to
a minimum during the construction
phase, and delivering some impressive
examples of British engineering
expertise and innovation.
CLAIRE BROUGH –
GIVING SECOND CHANCES
Claire Brough, LM’s skills and
employment manager, identified
that the wider HS2 project would be
a once in a generation opportunity
to make a huge and positive impact
on opportunities and diversity along
the route, and in particular, focusing
on groups needing assistance into
employment. Her initiatives have
created new jobs for groups such
as ex-offenders, long-term unemployed,
disabled and homeless individuals.
We have certain priority groups we
have to focus on, and they’re often
those who face significant barriers to
employment. We’ve aligned ourselves
with organisations that have specialist
capabilities to help these people back
into work.
As part of the Park Street project,
Claire and her team set up a training
programme to do just that. Funded by
the West Midlands Combined Authority,
the scheme selected 20 people to join
a unique two-week pre-employment
training course in archaeology.
From those, ten were selected and
offered full time roles, and joined the
team in the city centre. All were from
challenging backgrounds, and thrived
in their new careers,
We’ve created opportunities for these
people who never thought they were
going to get a chance. Our job is
primarily focusing our energy on the
community that surrounds our projects.
PAUL HUNT –
EXHUMING HUMAN REMAINS
HS2 conjures many images: high-speed
travel, commuters and tourists on trips
across the UK. Maybe you even think of
workers in orange suits and white hard
hats, and the massive construction
programme that lies ahead.
What you’re probably much less
likely to consider is the hidden history
of Britain along the route, and how
preparing the new line is opening
a door to the past.
For Paul Hunt, LM project manager,
this is a big part of his job. Responsible
for the Curzon St area in Birmingham,
a former burial ground with over 6,000
human remains, is being prepared for
the construction of a major terminal
station project.
It’s the largest Victorian cemetery
outside of Greater London, and for the
last 15 months, Paul and his team have
been working to remove remains from
the site with great care.
It’s a 19th century burial ground,
and was in operation for 63 years from
1810 to 1873. It’s been a fascinating
opportunity to work with specialists
to study the finds, and learn a huge
amount about the history of the city.
We’ve carefully exhumed all the
human remains and once the studies
are complete, they will be re-interred
to consecrated ground elsewhere
in Birmingham.
It’s been an extraordinary job for the
project manager, who also manages
the wider aspects of site preparation
for the new station terminal. For this
role, which involved 85 members
on site at its peak, there was no
conventional approach to follow.
It has been so interesting being able to
gather knowledge from the osteologists
and archaeologists. They have been
explaining the processes of how to go
about removing the human remains
with care and dignity, which has given
me an appreciation of their skills
and profession.