Transport News Issue 1 - 2021 - Flipbook - Page 18
DYER & BUTLER COMPLETES MAJOR
BRIGHTON VALLEY GARDENS
IMPROVEMENT WORKS ON BEHALF
OF BRIGHTON & HOVE CITY COUNCIL
Dyer & Butler has completed a major highways and public realm
improvement project with Brighton Valley Gardens on behalf of
Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC).
Valley Gardens is comprised of 23 acres of green space that
runs from St Peter’s Church to the Palace Pier in the centre of
Brighton. It forms the heart of historic Brighton and a junction
for the three major traffic routes into the town. In recent years,
the busy city centre has been under increasing pressure from
traffic and mass commercial use, so the project (valued at
£11m) forms part of a larger government funded scheme to
accommodate the modern day demands of the local area.
The project commenced in August 2018 and was completed
in August 2020. Dyer & Butler’s specialist team of highway
engineers focused on two strategic routes between St Peter’s
Church and Edward Street in the centre of Brighton, with the
aim of simplifying the existing highway network through Valley
Gardens and enhancing the cycle and pedestrian networks to
improve levels of safety.
With Valley Gardens boasting some of the earliest buildings
from Brighton’s fashionable Regency development era, as well
as many of the town’s most important listed buildings and
open spaces, Dyer & Butler worked closely with the local
council during the design stage to ensure the preservation of
its authentic character and appearance.
As Valley Gardens is a critical hub for public transport in the
city, the temporary traffic management employed had to
maintain essential bus routes flowing throughout the scheme
works. In order to do this (and also to accommodate for
weekly community events held in the city), bespoke temporary
traffic and pedestrian management designs and equipment
were deployed in 34 separate phases.
The team pioneered an innovative traffic management solution
to connect all of the temporary signal heads to the wider
Brighton MOVA system, ensuring continuous flow during the
works. This system mimicked BHCC’s permanent traffic light
operations and was half the cost of the commonly used
alternative, it was also the first time this has been achieved
outside of London. Also, a local specialist traffic management
consultancy was also employed, successfully minimising
disruption to the community and all road users.
The project presented a number of engineering challenges
which needed to be addressed on a day-to-day basis.
These included:
The scope of works covered the full range of highway, civil
engineering and landscaping, including:
•Significant multiple buried services (i.e. live
underground cables), some of which were in unknown
or incorrect locations, and works to basement
structures
•1.7km of new and realigned carriageways (18,000m2)
and construction of five major signalised junctions
•
Listed and historic buildings which had to remain
entirely intact
•9,000m2 of paved footways, parking bays/loading
bays and 1,200m2 of cycleways
•
Historically important infrastructure such as the
foundations of defunct tram lines
•7,000m2 flexible resin-bound gravel shared footway
and cycleways
Existing infrastructure led to technically challenging design
queries. These issues were overcome through collaborative
working and the specialist knowledge of the project team who
implemented innovative solutions to reduce delays, disruption
and client costs.
•Planting of 150 trees, significant soft landscaping and
planting, street lighting and signage
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