Groundworks and concrete placing
We have the machinery to carry out small-scale projects, which may only take a matter of hours in restricted areas, to much bigger projects requiring large machines which may take months to complete.
We have carried out a selection of roads projects, placing of stone or concrete hardstands and laying of services for various parties. Recent works included a 10,000 sqm stone hardstand with security fencing alongside the pier at Lyness. Nine thousand tons of stone had to be shipped into the island which was a major logistics problem. This was successfully carried out when a ship was hired in to transport the stone from the Orkney mainland.
Site clearance and ground works have been carried out on most civil projects which have included major water and waste water schemes, creating new carparks or roads and widening of existing roads.
One of these projects was the construction of a new carpark at the World Heritage Site of the Ring of Brodgar. A project of this nature needs to be carried out safely and with minimum disruption and that’s where our good planning, programming and project management come in to play.
Case Study
Ferry ramps/slipways
Orkney has been served by many different shipping companies and services, for nearly 150 years – services having commenced in 1865. Today’s interisland ferry network is provided by Orkney Ferries and provides an essential link for the socio-economic stability of Orkney. The service is designed to provide a safe and efficient service both to island residents and visitors. The inner north isles of Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre have a regular service from Tingwall on the Orkney Mainland using the ferry Eynhallow, named after the small island to the south of Rousay, which can be seen during this crossing. In addition, there is a service to Shapinsay which departs from Kirkwall on a regular basis.
Wear and tear over many years of use by the Roll-on/Roll-off ferry services resulted in a need for the replacement of the ferry ramps/slipways at all 6 locations. The not inconsiderable challenge was to ensure that their reconstruction and replacement had minimal impact on the ferry schedules. After much discussion with the client, a solution proposed by Currie Brothers was selected. The decision was facilitated by the availability of suitable premises at our Hatston site for pre-casting concrete slab for the construction of temporary ramps. These could then be used while the existing ramps were removed and then replaced by the more permanent slipway structures. As well as the challenge of ensuring no disruption to the scheduled services, all of the work had to take account of the local tides requiring skilful project management.
We are pleased to report that the client has been delighted with the work which, the vagaries of the local weather notwithstanding, we carried out to time and to budget.