VolkerHighways to continue road improvements in Hackney
VolkerHighways has been awarded the full four year extension to the Hackney highways term maintenance contract. The contract, awarded in 2011, will now run for the full term until April 2019 and includes footway and cycleway renewal and maintenance, road surfacing, street lighting and 24/7 emergency responses. VolkerHighways has successfully met all KPIs and built a strong collaborative relationship with the client, Hackney Council.
The commitment of the team to the Borough of Hackney has consistently exceeded the requirements of the contract. VolkerHighways has built a strong presence in the community, and continually seeks out opportunities to support a range of initiatives. The team have helped in the clean up after the London riots, provided emergency flood and storm responses, and developed a new approach to traffic management signage placement which reduces disruption to local residents.
VolkerHighways has also supported various safety campaigns such as ‘Exchanging Places’, which raises awareness among vulnerable road users about the dangers of sharing London roads with construction traffic. The current ‘Protect our People’ safety awareness campaign has seen VolkerHighways consulting with community groups such as Disability Hackney and the London Cycling Campaign to improve road safety for all user groups within the borough.
Kids Activity Play Hackney
The team has built a strong relationship with Kids Activity Play Hackney (KAPH), a local charity which cares for young children with disabilities. The team dedicated their free time and efforts to constructing a new path around the playground, replacing the previous gravel and mud path which made the playground inaccessible in wet weather. The new pathway has made a massive difference to the children, giving them better access to the playground and improved their enjoyment of the facility greatly.
Flood responses
VolkerHighways demonstrated their commitment to the residents of Hackney during the major flooding in September, when the borough’s infrastructure could not cope with the excess rainwater resulting in some residential homes being flooded. The gully maintenance crew dealt with emergency callouts for almost 24 hours and despite not being contracted to be on standby for this task, the team pulled together to assist the client and residents.
Mark Mascar, project manager at VolkerHighways said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract extension, in this very difficult and competitive market, which will guarantee our position in the borough until 2019. The team have exceeded all expectations from the client and the VolkerHighways senior management team, and credit must be given to the site team for their efforts. We have consistently won Considerate Constructors scheme awards and have dedicated our time and efforts to help local charities. Our community involvement has gained us recognition and respect from residents and the local authority.”
“Transport for London recently awarded the Super Cycle Highway 1 scheme, with the value of approximately £5m, to us and the design element to the London Borough of Hackney. To be given such a prestigious scheme shows the true value of our collaborative working relationship with Hackney Council.”
Andrew Cunningham of Hackney Council commented: “I am very pleased that we have been able to extend this contract for another four years. It has successfully and consistently delivered our highways improvement and maintenance over the duration of the contract to date.
“In addition it has continued to deliver wider benefits to the borough through collaborative working, employing apprentices, working within schools and community groups to name a few. Clearly there will be challenges ahead but this extension shows both the commitment of the borough and VolkerHighways in working together to continue to deliver at this high standard.”