Drainage upgrade on M6 smart motorway

National Highways began the upgrade to a busy 10 mile stretch of the M6 between junctions 21a and 26 in the early part of 2021. Main contractor Costain appointed SGC Civil Engineering to complete drainage and earthworks on the scheme.

The motorway carries 120,000 vehicles each day and changing it to smart motorway is intended to increase capacity and allow for a smoother flow of traffic. With the hard shoulder being converted to a new lane, the existing drainage needed to be upgraded and verges moved to add capacity for extra water and allow for a bigger area of hardstanding.

We laid 1140m of pipes and 120 chambers in challenging circumstances. The effects of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic with knock-on staff shortages and supply chain delays meant we had to work quickly to adapt. Our directly employed team helped mitigate the difficulty of finding skilled labour. We implemented contingency plans to counteract delays in sourcing aggregates, pipe chambers and plant, increasing the number of suppliers we worked with.

Throughout the project, we honed our planning, execution and logistical skills to deliver against the objectives.