Major milestone as new bridge over the King’s Dyke level crossing opens ahead of schedule11th Jul 2022

A civil engineering company has hit a major milestone ahead of schedule following the opening of a new bridge over the King’s Dyke level crossing.

Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK is delivering the £32m project that means regular delays caused by passing trains will now be a thing of the past.

The Ruthin-headquartered company was appointed by Cambridgeshire County Council and began onsite in July 2020 with works expected to continue until the end of 2022.

However, given its progress, Jones Bros will now focus its attention on the existing A605 as the scheme, which includes the eastern roundabout tie-in, enters the final stretch.

Further activity includes the construction of an embankment near Forterra, works at Funtham’s Lane, the closure and removal of the level crossing, and landscaping.

John Dielhof, Jones Bros managing director, said: “The team onsite have worked diligently and conscientiously to deliver this key milestone ahead of schedule.

“While we’re proud of this achievement, we are focused on completing the final works in the same manner in the coming months.”

Here are just some of the key facts and figures from the build as Jones Bros hit the key milestone:

• More than 170,000 hours without recording a single lost time incident (LTI)
• More than 4,000m3 of concrete used
• More than 350 tonnes of metal used
• Nearly 200,000m3 of material used to construct the embankments
• Nearly 10,000 tonnes of asphalt laid to date

As part of the scheme, Jones Bros has been engaging with the local community and helping boost the economy of Peterborough, Whittlesey, and beyond.

• More than £6.5m has been spent locally
• Two schools have been interacted with
• Eight community schemes supported
• Two local people have been recruited locally with another six spending more than six months each on the project

Established in the 1950s, Jones Bros owns one of the largest plant fleets in the UK and employs approximately 500 people.

The company is currently working on contracts in various sectors including highways, flood and marine defence, waste management and renewable energy around the UK.

The company runs an award-winning apprenticeship scheme, which has produced nearly 50 per cent of its current workforce, with many of its senior managers having started out as apprentices or in a trainee role. It has recruited more than 100 apprentices during the past three years.