Graham Construction were celebrating on the double at the Plant, Construction & Quarry Awards 2015 when claiming top prize in the ‘Construction Project of the Year’ and ‘Civil Engineering Company of the Year’ categories.
The company was presented with the much coveted ‘Construction Project of the Year’ award in recognition of the A2 Shore Road project.
Northern Assembly Transport Minister Michelle McIlveen officially opened the £50 million A2 Shore Road Greenisland dual carriageway on 3rd December 2015. Graham Construction commenced works on the scheme in March 2013 and the new dual carriageway became fully operational in September last year.
The A2 is a vital link in the strategic road network between Belfast and Carrick/East Antrim, carrying on average around 35,000 vehicles each day.
The awards judges commented: “This winning construction project – the A2 Shore Road – exemplifies that construction is about a lot more than bringing together a collection of materials to create something new. It’s about managing the working environment and the many uncontrollable factors that impact the delivery of a design from the plans to reality.
“In 28 months this team delivered 1.9 km of on-line and 1.6 km of off-line dual carriageway, including new roundabouts, access roads and cycle lanes. But what made this project so notable, is that this had to be done while managing a traffic flow of 35,000 vehicles a day along the route of the project.”
Project Manager Stephen McFaul accepted the awards on behalf of the company and he outlined to Building Ireland magazine: “We were delighted to be in the running for the award, never mind to win it outright.”
“Graham is now one of the major players in the UK construction industry and can compete with the best in any sector. The A2 was not particularly challenging from an engineering perspective but more about logistics of how to get works done, keep traffic flowing, businesses working and communities functioning at the same time.”
Stephen and his team had to work closely with the nearby university and schools to programme areas of work to coincide with holiday periods with a major part of Belfast High School’s new entrance and parking facilities completed over a 7 weeks in the summer of 2014.
The close proximity of the work to more than 130 properties, the delicate issue of providing access at all times and minimising noise meant that communication with residents and stakeholders was a major factor in the smooth delivery of the project.
“We started on site in March 2013 and completed in October 2015. The A2 Shore Road is a vital link road, connecting Belfast and East Antrim with an average of 35,000 vehicles using it per day so traffic management was always going to be key to the job.
“As a result, public liaison played a huge part of the project and we endeavoured to tackle it early on. 500+ people turned up at a public meeting before work commenced so we knew from day one that there was a big interest in the scheme and we were going to be in the spotlight all the time. We provided 24/7 contacts, produced monthly newsletters and developed a website which helped us to provide up-to-date information throughout the construction period.”
“The old road was a single lane carriageway and it was a significant bottleneck, not just at peak times, but most of the day for all users & commuters to and from Belfast. Drivers are now benefiting from reduced journey times of up to 30mins. As is often in the case in jobs of this scale, we received a number of complaints during the construction period but feedback was predominantly good and people showed a lot of interest in the project. Since it was opened we’ve received a lot of positive feedback & complimentary comments which is very rewarding.”
Health & Safety was also a major factor in the execution of the project with over 650,000 man hours worked on the project, making relevant training vitally important to ensure all staff and those in proximity to the site were safe.
With over 90% of the workforce attaining a CSCS card or equivalent, Graham Construction was the first contractor in Northern Ireland to be awarded the CSCS Platinum Certificate.
A multi-skilled organisation operating in construction, Graham Construction also specialise in the asset management and project investment sectors offering services to a diverse range of clients in the UK and Ireland.
Their business is focused on building and maintaining the infrastructure we all rely on in everyday life. They win work through positive personal relationships, understanding client needs and priorities, being innovative in the solutions they develop and delivering what and when they promise.
Presenting the company with the ‘Civil Engineering Company of the Year’ award, the Plant, Construction & Quarry Awards judges commented: “Each finalist had individual reasons why they excelled in a particular sector, but Graham demonstrated an overall excellence in all the categories.
“They demonstrated how they achieved positive personal relationships, how they understood the client needs and priorities, how they were innovative in the solutions they developed and delivered and how this aligned with their commitment to the client.
“Innovation employed on one particular and difficult project to ensure the health and safety of all involved was also a contributing factor.”
“I’ve been working with Graham a long time and the company has changed a lot in that time with turnover this year in excess of £500 million.,” remarked Stephen who joined the company straight after graduating from University of Ulster, Jordanstown just over thirty years ago.
“I’ve been fortunate to have worked with great people below and above me and there’s a great support base and a wealth of knowledge within the Graham Group. Good people and hard work have been instrumental in the company’s growth and development and long may it continue!”
Graham
20 Wildflower Way
Belfast
BT12 6TA
www.graham.co.uk
Taken from Building Ireland magazine Vol 2 No 1, Spring 2016
