Press Release
14 October 2015
New Wear Crossing team digs in to improve wildlife habitat
The team behind the New Wear Crossing project in Sunderland got their hands dirty in a clean up programme along the River Wear.
Volunteers, including staff from Sunderland City Council, construction consortium FVB JV, Faithful+Gould, Atkins Ltd and other partners, spent a day working to improve the habitat for fish and wildlife at Rainton Burn, near Houghton-le-Spring.
The team, under the direction of Steve Hudson from the Wear Rivers Trust, began by harvesting down lengths of willow growing nearby and using it to create a sustainable natural barrier in the banks.
This proven method means the willow will continue to grow and take root, holding the banks together and creating a secure and rich habitat for a wide variety of local wildlife, including kingfishers, otters, fish and invertebrates.
The team also helped clean up the burn by removing litter and blockages to tidy the area and reduce the risk of pollution and flooding.
David Abdy, Project Director of the New Wear Crossing project for Sunderland City Council, said: "We knew we'd be working close to the River Wear for the next couple of years, but we didn't think we'd be in it.
"It was a great chance to get involved in a local project to help the ecosystem of the river and was an opportunity for the team to use their engineering experience on another local project."
The New Wear Crossing project was launched in May of this year and will see a new £100m bridge built across the River Wear between Wessington Way in Castletown and European Way in Pallion. It is scheduled to open in 2018.
The project, part of a wider strategic transport plan, will help regenerate the area, relieve congestion and attract new jobs and investment to Sunderland.
Stephen McCaffrey is the Project Director with FVB JV, the partnership set up by Farrans Construction and Victor Buyck Steel Construction, to deliver the project.
He said: "We were delighted to spend some time working with our colleagues from Sunderland City Council and other partners, such as project management consultants Atkins and communications agency DTW, on this important scheme.
"It was an exhausting but very rewarding day."
Wear Rivers Trust's Steve Hudson said: "We were delighted Sunderland City Council and FVB JV could spare the time, equipment and organisation to help us complete the bank repair and burn cleaning.
"The bank protection measures will contribute towards reducing the amount of silt and sediment entering the watercourse whilst also enhancing spawning gravels for fish, improving water quality for invertebrates and creating new river bank habitat for small mammals and birds.
"This practical task will be the first of many delivered through the Lumley Burn Catchment, especially around Hetton-le-Hole, Rainton, Fencehouses and Shiney Row."
Picture captions:
Pic 1
Hard at work:Some members of the clean up team help to harvest willow branches.
Pic 2
Teamwork:Some of the team behind the New Wear Crossing project in Sunderland who volunteered to take part in the clean up.
Pic 3
Job done:The willow was used to create a natural, sustainable barrier in the riverbank.
Ends
Further information about this release:
For further information, contact Karen Westcott or Chris Taylor at DTW on 01287 610404, 07545 210067 or emailKaren@dtw.co.ukorchris@dtw.co.uk
Editors Notes:
About FVB JV
In May 2015the construction contract was awarded to FVB JV, an international joint venture set up by Farrans Construction and Victor Buyck Steel Construction, specifically to bring together the skills and experience required to deliver this project.
Farrans Construction operates as a building and civil engineering contractor across the UK and Ireland.
Victor Buyck is based in Belgium and is one of Europe's major structural steelwork contractors, specialising in steel bridges.
FVB JV will be supported by their design team led by Buro Happold Engineering and Roughan & O'Donovan.