Transport infrastructure specialists Colas have been charged with overseeing a wide range of work on the M275 for about 25 years.
Closing one of Hampshire’s busiest arterial routes, the M275, is never simple. Six times a year, Colas manages night-time closures so dozens of contractors can carry out essential works from maintenance inspections to lighting and resurfacing.
Traditionally, access control relied on fences and manpower. That meant staff standing for hours in the cold, repeatedly opening and closing gates. That means an obvious safety risks as the team will be working close to live traffic. It also slows down operations.
Colas needed a quicker, safer way to manage access.
After attending a local roadshow in Portsmouth, Colas’ traffic management team spotted the INSTABOOM remote-operated barrier in action and immediately saw its potential.
Operatives can now allow access at the push of a button, quickly and safely, without standing for hours in inclement weather.
Tony White, Street Cleansing Supervisor, was part of the Colas team who made sure the closures, as well as all the servicing, repairs, inspections, cleaning, road marking (and much more) went without a hitch.
Tony White explained, “The lads love it. Someone comes along, they push a button, it opens, the contractor comes through. They push the button again and it comes back down. Couldn’t be simpler.”
He added: “Six times a year, the M275 is closed to allow a vast number of departments from National Highways and other bodies to do important work.
“It’s a multi-faceted effort and anything that can help it run smoothly and safely is welcome. That’s why we used INSTABOOM.
“It helps make us look more professional. Contractors passing through the raised boom arm have been saying to us ‘…wish we had one of them…’.”
Tony and his team have used the INSTABOOM,on two night-time closures, with a third lined up soon.
He recently took delivery of barrier lights which neatly wrap around the INSTABOOM to make it easier to see.
“The INSTABOOM does the job we need it for. It’s great. And the barrier lights are a bright idea too!”