Norfolk Environmental Waste Recycling Facility, King's Lynn

Client: Norfolk Environmental. Project: 2,600sqm internal and external new build. Main contractor: RG Carters Ltd. Subcontractor: Jarvis Highway Maintenance Ltd. Engineer: Fordham Johns.

Overview

CIP were approached by the main contractor to specify a design build up for a new build recycling facility in King's Lynn. The application covered both internal and external works, with vehicle movements including forklift trucks using buckets to scoop up recycling waste.

The requirement

The surface had to survive buckets frequently scraping along it, take the weight of forklift trucks and regular vehicle movements, and stop waste working its way beneath the surface. It also had to work internally and externally on the same site.

Why grouted macadam

In waste handling the jointless construction is the point. There are no joints for waste to get beneath, and the slab is completely impermeable to spillages such as fuels.

Wear resistance prevents the surface breaking up under continuous scraping from buckets, and the strength characteristics mean it will not puncture, rut, deform or fail under heavy, frequent loading, with no additional reinforcement required.

The system was chosen in January 2001. Fast track construction methods with 24 hour curing gave significant programme advantages on site, particularly during winter working.

Design and specification

Proposals submitted to the engineer, Fordham Johns, comprised a build up of 40mm of surfacing over 100mm of heavy duty macadam basecourse, onto Type 1 sub base material.

The sub base works were carried out by the main contractor. The pavement is typically built up from the topside of the sub base installed by others, with the specialist contractor taking responsibility for the system from formation to the top layer of pavement.

Installation

Installation of the basecourse and open graded asphalt wearing course was subcontracted to Jarvis Highway Maintenance Ltd. The open graded asphalt was laid at a temperature of circa 160C over an area of 2,960 square metres. Once it had cooled to 30C the installation team flooded the asphalt matrix with the high strength microsilica mortars.

On completion of each area the surface was ready for trafficking within 24 hours.

Outcome

The facility got a hard wearing, impermeable and jointless surface across both its internal and external areas, delivered on a fast track programme through the winter.

Photographs from the original CIP project records. The system was supplied under the Densiphalt name at the time of these works and is now supplied as Confalt through Contec. This was a CIP installation, and the grouted macadam contracting capability now sits with Globe Civil Engineering.