Heavy duty trackway required to protect primary school grounds

The project 

Our client, DSM Contract Lifting, required our assistance at a primary school, where a 450T crane was to remove two old generators and then replace them with two new generators. Heavy-duty trackway was essential for providing access along with building a safe area for the crane to set up for their lifts. Our trackway also would prevent any damage, from such a heavy machine, to the tarmac of staff car park and the school playground.

The location

Fenstanton Primary School, Abbots Park road, London, SW2 3PW

The challenges and heavy-duty trackway solution

Our priority was to protect the school car park and grounds from the pressure of a 450t crane capable of producing 17t per axle of pressure as a point load. After discussions relating to the exact route in which the crane was to undertake, we agreed that elevating the trackway up over the curbs was the best solution. This would give us a double element surface cross bonded and a much larger spread of width. The 4.23m curb to curb simply wasn’t enough to distribute throughout the trackway and into the ground beneath.

Another challenge we faced, was ensuring the trackway itself wouldn’t leave indentations in the tarmac. So, we recommended the use of our ultra-thick interlock cushion underlay to eliminate this potential problem which our customer was delighted with.

After we had agreed on a layout and had a plan in place suitable for the crane and its specification, we planned the loads in and out with the logistics department. Some of the car park was still being used and the entrance was also used for a variety of reasons, so this required navigating. The public were also in and out of the pedestrian route at the entrance, so we had to segregate our work for the safety of others during the installation. We planned scheduled loads during the day which would enable loads in and out using our equipment to withstand the weights.

The requirements

DTH assist DSM Contract Lifting temporary roadway
“After supervising the install/recovery everything went really well due to good communication, careful planning, correct choice and amount of accessories & a positive attitude to complete the task from both sides.”
– Mitch Ryan Hull – Project Engineer, Davis Trackhire
I’d just like to send my thanks to you and your team for the trackway job you completed at Fenstanton. We gave you very little notice on a huge project for us, and you still managed to get to site to assess, plan the job and get it completed in our very tight schedule! This is the first time I’ve hired this heavy-duty product, but it definitely won’t be the last!

The crane lift went without a hitch and the trackway did its job efficiently and impressively. The team who took the trackway up were just as efficient. We handed the car park back to the client on time and without issue. We WILL be using you again! Thanks from us at DSM!
– David Carver, DSM Contract Lifting Manager