Fitzgerald Wins Section 278 Works Housing Infrastructure Scheme

The company has successfully been appointed as principal contractor for a key highway upgrade scheme at Loxley Road, Stratford-Upon-Avon, delivered on behalf of Taylor Wimpey through Fitzgerald’s place on Warwickshire County Council’s Engineering & Construction Works Framework.

The Section 278 works to form a new junction will provide access to the new Tudor Gate housing development which is located 2 miles from Stratford-Upon-Avon Town Centre. Fitzgerald began works on-site in July with our scope of work involving site clearance and coordination of statutory utility diversion works with Taylor Wimpey and also with Spitfire Homes on an adjacent housing development. Fitzgerald will construct the new road and footway together with installation of surface and foul water drainage, provision of signage, road markings and street lighting.

The £500k scheme is being delivered over a 19 week duration in a live environment and presents the added logistical challenges of maintaining access to the housing development currently being built whereby Fitzgerald have to date carried out temporary widening due to the existing narrow vehicular access.

The contract was secured via a single action direct tender with Taylor Wimpey and enabled Fitzgerald’s in-house team to liaise early to provide preconstruction cost and buildability advice.

Fitzgerald Contractors Managing Director Nick Coley commented: ‘At pre-contract stage we focussed our planning on mitigating key contract risk areas, particularly around programme phasing and utility coordination. We have devised a construction plan that includes a road closure and traffic diversion route phasings. This methodology will provide a safer working environment as well as cost and programme certainty for our client’.

The scheme continues Fitzgerald’s presence in the Stratford area delivering key civil engineering contracts having completed high-specification public realm works adjacent to The Shakespeare Centre on Henley Street in the Town Centre.