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N7 Naas Road Widening
& Interchange Scheme |
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Whole Project Award
Project Partners: Kildare County Council, South Dublin
County Council, National Roads Authority (clients);
Halcrow Barry (clients' engineer/designer); Roughan
& O'Donovan - Faber Maunsell Alliance (contractor's
designers); Laing O'Rourke Infrastructure and Clonmel
Enterprises (contractors)
The N7 Naas Road Widening & Interchanges Scheme
is the first construction project in the Republic of
Ireland to gain a CEEQUAL award. The client, designer
and contractor partnership used the CEEQUAL assessment
scheme to demonstrate the high level of environmental
performance achieved during the planning, design and
construction phases of the project.
The Project
The Naas Road Widening & Interchanges Scheme consisted
of an upgrade of a 14-kilometre length of the existing
N7 between Rathcoole and Naas. The road has been widened
from a two-lane Dual Carriageway with at-grade junctions
to a three-lane Dual Carriageway with grade-separated
interchanges. The scheme included the construction of
four new grade-separated interchanges, two footbridges
and other upgrading works.
Ecology
The scheme aimed to protect and enhance local biodiversity.
Ecological surveys were undertaken during the comprehensive
Environmental Impact Assessments, and prior to construction
starting. The site includes fish-spawning grounds, potential
bat roots and badger foraging areas. To minimise any
impacts from the project, a wide range of environmental
mitigation measures were used, including badger fencing,
bat boxes and the relocation of 350 brown trout using
an electro-fishing technique, undertaken by the Fisheries
Board.
Archaeology
Archaeological investigation on this scheme commenced
in August 2003, using a combination of geophysical testing,
advanced central strip testing and specifically located
test trenches in areas of identified archaeological
potential. Nine archaeological sites were revealed with
a small cluster of three possible Bronze Age sites in
the form of cremations located within Bronze Age barrows
(mounds of earth, encircled by a ditch). Archaeological
consultants were employed to excavate and report on
these finds in accordance with current guidelines, prior
to works taking place.
Sustainable Resource Management
The project's approach to sustainable resource management
was to reduce the amount of virgin aggregate and to
re-use existing materials on site wherever practical.
This was achieved in part by using a rubbilisation technique
to turn the existing old concrete slabs beneath the
blacktop into a sub-base for the new rood. This process
had a number of environmental benefits including reducing
vehicle movements and avoiding the requirement for a
concrete crusher and the associated noise and dust issues.
Where virgin materials were used they were procured
from a quarry located adjacent to the site, reducing
transportation requirements and the associated impacts
of vehicle movements. The quarry worked closely with
the project team to ensure high-quality products.
Community Liaison
The project team had a significant interface with
road users and the villages along the route. The commitment
to keep two lanes of traffic open at all times was achieved,
and regular updates of the road works were provided
on the project website, through newsletters and on the
local radio. The team worked closely with the local
communities to minimise disruption; this included a
safety talk at the local Kill Primary School to raise
awareness of the dangers of construction sites.
The CEEQUAL Scheme
Laing O'Rourke Infrastructure (part of the contractor team)
has past experience of the benefits of the CEEQUAL process
and has used CEEQUAL on a number of other projects, including
the Twin River Diversion
on T5 Heathrow and the A470
Road Improvement Scheme in Snowdonia National
Park.
Conclusion
The Naas N7 scheme was not only completed ahead of
time, but it has also attained the first CEEQUAL award
in the Republic of Ireland, demonstrating 'Very Good'
environmental performance. The CEEQUAL award shows a
clear commitment to effective environmental management
to all the project stakeholders, including the NRA and
other fund holders. This has been achieved on the N7
Naas Scheme through the close partnership between the
client, designers and contractors.
rimccarthy@laingorourke.com
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