A465 Heads of The Valleys,
Section 2 Gilwern to Brynmawr
Speakers: Bill Hughes, Arcadis and Bruce Richards, Project Director, Costain
Wednesday 8th February 2017. 5.30 for 6.00pm
Trevithick Lecture Theatre, School of Engineering, Cardiff University CF24 3AA
Refreshments at 5.30 in Junior Common Room, lecture at 6.00pm in T2/09
Artist’s impression of new bridge across A465
The A465 trunk road is one of two strategic east-west routes through South
Wales, along with the M4, and plays an important role in connecting the
communities of the south Wales valleys as well as key settlements in south
Wales. The A465 also forms part of the trans-European transport network
(TEN-T) and connects south and west Wales to Ireland, the English Midlands
and beyond.
Registered charity number 210252
Charity registered in Scotland number SC038629
The A465 Dualling Project involves the upgrading of 40km of the A465
between Abergavenny to Hirwaun. The project was split into six sections for
delivery, 3 of which have been completed to date.
Section 2 involves the dualling of 8.1 km of the A465 between Brynmawr and
Gilwern, the project runs up through the Clydach Gorge an area of outstanding
natural beauty with all the work having to take place on-line. Costain were
appointed in June 2011 under Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) Design and
Build contract with design support from Atkins and CH2M.
The scheme started on site in December 2014 and is now more than half way
through the construction period with completion planned for late 2018. The
scheme cost of £223m is funded by the Welsh Government
The presentation will outline the need for the project and describe the general
scheme details. It will highlight some of the key logistic challenges facing the
project team through the very narrow corridor of the Gorge itself and the
progress on site to date. It will also cover the added community benefits being
delivered by the scheme and the strategies established to deliver them,
including the National Skills Academy for Construction and mandatory contract
requirements for targeted recruitment and training.
This event is kindly sponsored by Arcadis
Light refreshments will be served at 5.30pm in the Junior Common Room,
before the lecture, which will start at 6.00pm.
Please book your place online at:
https://www.ice.org.uk/events/a465-head-of-the-valleys-road-cardiff
or contact: [email protected] 029 2063 0561
Registered charity number 210252
Charity registered in Scotland number SC038629
Speakers
Bill Hughes is an Associate Director and
Highways Service Leader in Wales for Arcadis
with significant experience of single and multiclient management. Of major highways
schemes,
With 25 years project experience with Civil
Engineering Contractors and 15 years with
Arcadis he currently Operates as Project
Director and Employer Agent for Sections 2
and 3 of the A465. Valued at over £300m with
overall management responsibilities reporting
to the Welsh Government.
Bill is also experienced and established expert witness he has worked in many
parts of the world supporting clients in the rebuttals of contractors claims
consequently he has a deep understanding of the issues that cause disputes
and how they can be avoided.
He is a strategic thinker with an Engineering Degree and MBA background and
has the skills and drive to identify and align an appropriate business model that
will deliver the scheme strategic and project objectives.
Recognised Team Leader for E C Harris with extensive past experience of
successfully leading teams in multimillion pound projects in Poland, Turkey,
Romania, Korea and Ireland.
Registered charity number 210252
Charity registered in Scotland number SC038629
Bruce Richards, Project Director, Costain
Career summary:
Bruce brings more than 25 years’ experience
managing major civil engineering projects with
contract values up to £415M. He spent four years
at Freyssinet International working on projects
for cable-stayed bridges, complex pre-stressing
and launching structures, before successfully
delivering the major M1 J10-13 ECI D&B scheme.
He is based in Cardiff, and was a Site Agent on a
number of Welsh road schemes in his early
career, including M4 Widening and Second
Severn Crossing Gwent Approach.
Relevant project experience:
2012 – to date: A465 Heads of the Valleys Section 2 ECI (£200M) Company:
Costain
This ECI D&B project has completed KS3. As Project Director, Bruce successfully
led the integrated project team through preliminary design, public
consultation, production of the environmental statement and publication of
Draft Orders in KS3, and to Public Inquiry in Spring 2014. He has built excellent
relationships with Welsh Government and key stakeholders.
Key skills and experience:
• Leadership and management of Contractor and Designer ECI project
teams through Key Stages 3,4 and 6
• Building and managing effective collaborative integrated teams
• Planning and construction of major highways projects
• Planning and construction of complex major bridge structures
• Detailed knowledge of KS3 and KS4 statutory processes
• Detailed knowledge of environmental statutory processes
• Experienced in preparing evidence for Public Inquiry
• Expert in championing and realising social and economic benefits
• Expert in stakeholder management and building relationships
Registered charity number 210252
Charity registered in Scotland number SC038629