Member Article

North East civil engineers partner to deliver major infrastructure project

Two civil engineering giants have joined forces to help deliver a major North East infrastructure project.

Lafarge Tarmac has been appointed by Owen Pugh Contracts in a deal worth £2.5 million to supply 180,000 tonne of construction aggregates that will be used in the earthworks, as part of the £30m Morpeth Northern Bypass project.

In turn, Lafarge Tarmac has contracted Owen Pugh & Co, the division of The Owen Pugh Group specialising in haulage and other related services, to transport the materials between its quarry in Howick, Northumberland to the project site just north of Morpeth.

The deal is worth £820k to Owen Pugh & Co with Owen Pugh Contracts reaping a further £4.3m for the earthworks part of the scheme as a subcontractor to Carillion.

The partnership has seen a dedicated team of ten Owen Pugh hauliers relocate to a remote operating base at Lafarge Tarmac’s quarry, with two members of staff promoted to supervisor status to manage the scheme over the course of the next 12 months.

The company’s operating systems are integrating well and the work is currently well ahead of schedule.

Chris Mason, commercial manager at Owen Pugh & Co Ltd, said: “We have enjoyed a strong partnership with Lafarge Tarmac over the years and are delighted to be working with the team again to provide haulage services to support the aggregates contract for the Morpeth Northern Bypass development.

“The project, which is in addition to the main earthworks scheme being undertaken by Owen Pugh Contracts, is progressing well as a result of a lengthy pre-planning process and at this stage we’re well positioned to complete the work ahead of schedule.”

Pam Campbell, Account Manager for Aggregates and Asphalt at Lafarge Tarmac, said:

“We are delighted to secure the contract for this vitally important road scheme and are looking forward to our work in partnership with Owen Pugh and other supply chain partners to provide a source of high-quality and locally -sourced construction materials for this important project.

“We are also working in partnership with Owen Pugh’s haulage division who have taken full responsibility for the high volume deliveries into the scheme. This has worked very well and communication between Owen Pugh and Lafarge Tarmac has been faultless.”

The Morpeth Northern Bypass scheme, worth £30m in total, will create a road running from the Whorral Bank roundabout to the A1 trunk road between Fairmoor and Lancaster Park. Carillion is the main contractor for the scheme, working on behalf of Northumberland County Council.

The Owen Pugh Group comprises five trading companies operating in the civil engineering industry, undertaking earthmoving and demolition, drainage and groundworks, plant-hire and haulage, quarrying, inert waste and drain cleaning, and CCTV surveys. The group is headquartered in Dudley near Cramlington, with other bases in Blaydon, Stockton-on-Tees and Bassington Lane in Cramlington, as well as Marsden Quarry.

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