TPA’s temporary roadway hire service is helping protect land, control costs, and keep vehicles moving on a major National Grid refurbishment project along the M62 corridor.
A 30-mile power line challenge
Main contractor Babcock International was tasked with refurbishing a 50-year-old overhead line running 30 miles between Monk Fryston in North Yorkshire and Bradford West substation. The route is one of the busiest in the country, crossing the M62, the M1, four rail lines and the River Aire, making safe and reliable access essential.
Having previously worked with TPA on the Stalybridge to Thorpe Marsh scheme, Babcock selected the company again following a competitive tender process, confident in TPA’s ability to deliver.
10,000 temporary roadway panels providing 20km of access
To meet the demands of the project, TPA supplied and installed a combination of:
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7,000 aluminium panels for heavy-duty vehicle access
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3,000 plastic TerraRoad panels for access roads and working areas
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TuffTrak plastic panels around EPZs and as breaks in the aluminium routes
In total, more than 10,000 temporary roadway panels have been used, creating over 20km of safe access for vehicles including dump trucks, tractors and cranes weighing up to 250 tonnes.
Flexible trackway hire solutions for cost and security
Plastic roadway panels played a key role in cost savings. As Babcock Site Manager Eugene Fox explained:
“There are benefits in using plastic panels wherever possible as those can be left in place over the Christmas break without the need for security – which helps keep costs down on the project.”
The plastic panels also reduced theft risk, minimised mud, and proved more durable than alternatives Babcock had used before.
Temporary roadway hire with full support
TPA’s role went far beyond supplying panels. The company delivered:
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Specialist vehicle deliveries and accredited installation crews
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Up to eight installation teams per day, supervised by dedicated project co-ordinators
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Weekly maintenance visits to live sites
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Attendance at contractor planning meetings to ensure smooth coordination
As Babcock’s Eugene Fox noted:
“I have been really pleased with the TPA panels on this job but the supervisory staff at TPA have also been second to none in my opinion. They keep to what they say they are going to do and their timekeeping is excellent. You don’t often get that.”
Meeting changing project demands
The refurbishment required adjustments when landowners requested route changes and some planned footpath closures became unavailable. Despite the increased panel demand, TPA’s operations team ensured all requirements were met.
Jonathan Clowes, Business Development Manager for Transmission at TPA, explained:
“Since the original tender award the project panel demand increased and when the installations started for this project we still had a substantial amount of our panels out on summer transmission projects. But, thanks to the thorough planning and forecasting by our operations team we were able to support all of this requirement plus a further increase in sites for scaffolding works.”
Proven expertise in transmission projects
By combining aluminium, and plastic TuffTrak panels, TPA delivered a flexible, cost-effective solution tailored to the project’s needs. The scale of the works, the challenging ground conditions, and the need for constant vehicle movement underline why temporary roadway hire is critical to the success of transmission schemes.
For National Grid and Babcock, TPA’s expertise and vast panel range ensured safe, efficient access across every stage of the 30-mile refurbishment.