A1 Birtley to Coal House Improvements

As the A1 Birtley to Coal House Improvements come to a close we look back to our own involvement, a £14M multi-disciplinary piling subcontract delivered for Costain Group PLC and National Highways.

This scheme demonstrated the breadth of our in-house capabilities, combining multiple piling and geotechnical disciplines across a highly constrained and live infrastructure environment.

Our scope included:
• Sheet piling – temporary and permanent retaining walls, including works adjacent to live highways, railways and waterways
• Contiguous piled walls – including low headroom solutions under overhead constraints
• Load bearing piles – supporting bridge widening works with depths of up to 21–24m
• Gantry foundations – complex large diameter piling for new infrastructure installations
• Ground anchors – over 160 anchors installed to support retained structures
• Cofferdams & temporary works – enabling critical diversions such as culvert works
• Specialist temporary works steel and enabling works.

Working across multiple locations including Kingsway Roundabout and Eighton Lodge junctions, the team overcame challenges such as weak ground conditions, tight working spaces, live traffic management, and proximity to the East Coast Main Line.

Innovation played a key role throughout, from phased retaining solutions and steel mat working platforms to digital rehearsals and enhanced safety systems.

The result was a safely delivered, technically demanding project that earned the Costain Blue Award for excellence in performance, collaboration, and HSEQ.

A great example of what’s possible when expertise, innovation, and teamwork come together on major infrastructure.