Advance works advancing well

All major construction projects require various preparation works to be carried out in order to “prepare the ground” for the arrival of the main contractors and the start of work on the principal construction project. These are called Advanced Works Contracts (AWC) and often involve diverting public utilities such as gas supplies, telecommunications connections, water pipes and the like which would otherwise get in the way of the main works and risk holding up construction progress.

Advanced Works contractors have been on site in Hawick since March 2018 – no doubt readers will have seen them in various parts of the town and we thank you for your patience and co-operation. The work has now been substantially completed on schedule. However, a major element remains ongoing with the closure of Commercial Road expected to commence in early 2020. The team has been systematically working through a detailed programme of diverting roughly 20km of existing services for eight utilities companies (i.e. Scottish Water; BT, Scottish Power, Scottish Gas, Vodafone; SBC street lighting and Transport Scotland street lighting) from the alignment of the new flood defences. The work has also involved clearing vegetation and modifying local fences and boundaries.

This work will give the Main Works contractor the appropriate access to the new flood protection locations so that they can undertake the works in a safe and efficient manner without the risk of being “tripped up” or delayed by the need to divert these utilities. These works also ensure uninterrupted supply of these utilities to households and businesses during the main flood protection construction works.