Following the successful completion of the installation phase of the Southern section of Hinckley Connection, Kelston Sparkes was appointed to manage the groundworks along the northern section from Sandford to Portbury. The two-year project, which commenced in mid-2021 involved the construction of a further 86 T-pylons with Kelston Sparkes responsible for installing haul roads and work areas. As well stripping topsoil, excavating the subgrade and placing geotextile and imported aggregate, the scope of the work included excavating and installing utility protection crossings. And – because of its lowland location – it was necessary to dam and excavate natural watercourses and install a number of box culvert crossings for the temporary works.

The T-pylons – the first worldwide to go into use – joined up with 27 lattice pylons in Avonmouth and the final connection of the new grid was made to the Seabank substation to power homes and businesses across the South West.

Whilst completing the work on the northern section the Kelston Sparkes team simultaneously worked on the reinstatement of the Southern section; dismantling the haul roads and work areas, reinstating the rhynes and watercourses and removing temporary culverts. This process was repeated for the northern section.

As part of the environmental credentials of the project Kelston Sparkes recovered, recycled and reused as many of the construction materials as possible. The company partnered with Soil Science Ltd to create haul roads with fewer imported aggregates and worked with ‘This is Gravity’ to re-use the stone and aggregate from the Hinkley project for the development of a new multi-million-pound business innovation park near Bridgwater.  Situated adjacent to the M5 motorway, the 635-acre brownfield site – a former Royal Ordnance factory that has lain unused since 2008 – will be turned into a large-scale zone for smart and green businesses.

During the reinstatement of the Hinkley Point Connection work areas, Kelston Sparkes teams removed the stone and delivered it to the Gravity site for use on the construction of piling mat. With a target of zero to landfill, all damaged material was screened and reprocessed on site using Kelston Sparkes screening equipment and stored for future use. These recycled materials significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the development whilst enabling rapid delivery solutions for potential occupiers of the site.