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Promoting engineering as a career High Street Drainage Improvement Scheme You may be wondering what all the digging and mess around the High Street and Melbourn Village College has been all about? Well it’s a scheme to improve the drainage of the High Street and prevent the regular flooding which occurs every time there has been any rainfall of note. The construction of the long awaited drainage improvement scheme between the High Street and the Moor started on 10th December 2012 and was completed at the end of January on programme. The scheme was commissioned by Melbourn Parish Council, with funding from Cambridgeshire County Council, to alleviate flooding on the High Street by increasing run-off capacity to the water outfall. Atkins, who is the principal contractor for the scheme, also designed the route of the new 450mm diameter surface water drainage system. The drainage route runs from the High Street (opposite Vicarage Close) along the verge to the new housing development at the Old Police Station site. It then passes through the development site and into the grounds of Melbourn Village College and follows the boundary fence to the outfall in the existing ditch at the front of the college in The Moor. As a result of partnership working between the Parish Council, the County Council and Atkins, it has been possible to significantly reduce the amount of congestion and cost of the scheme by taking advantage of the re-development of the Old Police Station site. Installing the new drainage system through the Old Police Station and around Melbourn Village College reduced the length of drainage work required compared to a route fully along the High Street and The Moor. In turn, this significantly reduced the amount of traffic congestion and general disruption to Melbourn residents by negating the need for road closures and diversions had the new system been routed solely on the public highway. This saved a potential five weeks of road closures on Melbourn High Street and three weeks of closure on The Moor.
of maths and sciences in delivering the scheme. During the site visit, students were able to see the actual works and had a chance to ask Peter Nicholas, the drainage scheme supervisor, questions about the construction methods used. Both Peter and Livio highlighted the critical importance of health, safety and the environment in both the design and construction phase and discussed the role of civil engineers in improving the environment more generally. The students showed great awareness with many expressing a keen interest in Highway Maintenance Apprenticeships which are offered by Atkins. Overall, it was a good learning opportunity for everyone involved which it is hoped can be repeated in the future. Atkins made the school visit to promote engineering as a career under the STEMNET initiative (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network). STEMNET creates opportunities to inspire young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics which not only enables them to develop their creativity, problem-solving and employability skills, but widens career choices and supports the UK economy’s future competitiveness. For more information, please contact: Rob Bayley, Atkins Business Development Manager, Highways & Transportation Telephone 01223 814173
Village College School Visit To raise awareness of the scheme, Atkins visited pupils in years 10 and 11 studying for a BTEC in Construction at the Melbourn Village College. The visit coincided with the completion of the construction phase at the end of January and consisted of a short presentation followed by a visit to the construction site so that the students could see in more detail some of the work and skills involved in delivering the draining scheme. Livio Martelli, a highway engineer from Atkins’ design team in Cambridge, gave the classroom presentations on both the design and construction elements of the scheme. He explained the different phases of a project, the roles and responsibilities of those involved and the importance melbournmagazine
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