The project, for North Yorkshire County Council, is needed to protect a section of the A174 road, which is relied upon by the community of Sandsend to reach nearby Whitby. The road is currently threatened by coastal erosion and slope failures.
The scheme will protect 16 houses in the village from the effects of storms and wave action through the construction of approximately 780 metres of concrete-stepped revetment sea defences and supporting infrastructure such as public access steps, pedestrian crossings, highway drainage and public amenity areas. The highway will also be widened in places to accommodate extra parking to encourage more visitors to the area.
Balfour Beatty teamed up with consulting engineer Royal HaskoningDHV in September 2013 to develop the scheme. To maximise sustainability, existing sea defence material will be reused. Surplus earthworks will be trucked to a designated fill area on the seaward side of the A174.
Stephen Semple, Balfour Beatty managing director for north central, said: “Our success in winning this project has been partly down to our ability to deliver innovative solutions, developed through our long history of delivering successful coastal defence work, together with our proposals to minimise disruption to local people and visitors.”
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