HW Martin (Traffic Management) Ltd, and it’s client Galliford Try, have been recognised with a National Highways Award for customer-focused network management.
The award acknowledged how an innovative approach to diversion routes, born out of the need to reduce disruption for customers, became best practice, business as usual for the A303 Sparkford to Ilchester scheme.
The A303 connects the West Country to the rest of England, and over 23,000 vehicles use the route every day during peak times, particularly at weekends.
A proposal to close to the route over the weekend as part of the construction project called for an innovative approach to maximise the customer experience.
Several strategies were combined to deliver the final service including virtual incident monitoring, a carefully considered Variable Message Sign (VMS) advanced information programme and a thorough communications plan.
The master stroke, however, was the strategy to disperse travellers to several alternative routes in a bid to keep the away from the closure and reduce congestion on the diversion route. This approach alone reduced traffic flow volumes by 23-28% allowing the complex diversion route to operate efficiently.