Milestone Infrastructure has trialled cement-free concrete to lay road kerbs in Cambridge and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to power plant and welfare facilities on a road job in Oxford.
Milestone used Cemfree, supplied by DB Group (formerly David Ball), to lay kerbs on Histon Road in Cambridge. Preparations involved adjustment of the mix design to ensure the concrete was delivered at the correct slump.
The contractor has been using HVO at Oxfordshire County Council’s A40 Oxford North site, a highways scheme on the northwest edge of Oxford, between the Wolvercote roundabout and the A34 flyover. The scheme, which began in March 2021 and run until April 2022, is the county’s diesel-free highway improvement project.
Milestone Infrastructure has committed to being net zero carbon by 2040, with interim targets of a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2025 and 60% reduction by 2030.
It is rolling out the use of HVO across its fleet in 2021 and early 2022 to support the transition to a low carbon fleet where suitable electric vehicles are not available.
The Cambridge project involved widening Histon Road to create wider cycle lanes, a new bus lane, floating bus stops and an innovative circulating cycle junction which is the third of its kind in the UK.
The works saw Milestone install 13,000 sqm of new footways and cycle ways, requiring excavation over and around approximately 29km of existing utilities. The project also involved the diversion of 74 existing utilities and the resurfacing of more than 18,000 sqm of carriageway. The 20-month programme completed last month.
M Group Services acquired Skanska UK’s infrastructure services operation for £50m in March this year. Rebranded by M Group as Milestone Infrastructure, it operate as a standalone highway maintenance, street lighting and highways projects business. [See our previous report here.]
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