MACRES

The construction of Lincolnshire’s state-of-the-art Energy from Waste (EfW) recycling plant at North Hykeham, Lincoln, presented complex ground engineering and design challenges. Built on a low-lying brownfield site with a high groundwater table, the project required innovative civil engineering solutions to ensure long-term stability and operational efficiency. Due to the elevated groundwater levels, it was not feasible to construct the waste tipping hall at ground level, as is typical for waste management facilities. Instead, the tipping hall was positioned at first-floor level to mitigate risks associated with water ingress and ground instability. This design change created a significant access challenge. The facility needed to accommodate a continuous flow of 40-tonne waste delivery vehicles, requiring a durable and safe heavy-duty access ramp. With a vertical rise of 6. 0 metres and a maximum gradient of 1 in 10, the ramp needed to extend approximately 60 metres in length. However, the constrained site layout meant there was insufficient space to construct a traditional straight ramp with conventional earthwork embankments and shallow side slopes. This limitation required a compact, structurally efficient retaining wall solution capable of supporting heavy vehicle loads while maximising available space.

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The Reading Viaduct project stands as a landmark achievement in UK rail infrastructure, representing the first use of a reinforced soil retaining wall (RSW) system with discrete concrete panel facings to support live railway tracks. This £45 million project delivered a 2,000-metre-long concrete viaduct, the longest of its kind in the UK, which became operational on 4th January 2015. Positioned West of Reading railway station, the viaduct was designed to eliminate a critical bottleneck that had long impacted network efficiency, where passenger trains were routinely delayed by slower freight services. A major engineering challenge involved the construction of approach ramps to elevate the railway line by approximately 6 metres at both ends of the viaduct. However, the project constraints were significant. The works had to be carried out within just 15 metres of an active railway line, making conventional earth embankment construction impractical due to safety, space, and operational limitations. As a result, Balfour Beatty appointed Maccaferri to design and deliver a reinforced soil wall solution that complied with the original tender design by Network Rail’s consulting engineers, Atkins. The challenge required a solution that combined structural performance, minimal footprint, and suitability for live rail conditions.

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The Sadlers Farm Junction near Basildon is a notorious congestion black spot with over 8000 vehicles per hour negotiating the gyratory system between the A13 from London and the A130 route into north Essex. To relieve congestion and improve traffic flow, Essex County Council commissioned a £63m interchange to bypass the busy “magic roundabout” as it had become known. The scheme included upgrades from dual two-lane to dual-four-lane carriageways the creation of four new composite bridges and the extension of two existing subways. Mouchel devised a scheme comprising vertical, concrete panel-reinforced soil retaining walls for bridge wing walls and abutments. Contiguous piled walls were installed where space for more cost-effective solutions was not available. The contiguous walls were blockwork-faced, and Essex County Council also required that a blockwork-style finish be incorporated into the concrete panel walls.

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