New contractors sought for £50m Paddington contract

Crossrail, the new high-frequency railway for London, has launched its search for contractors to come in on a major civil engineering project at Paddington New Yard in London.

The contract, worth between £25 million and £50 million, is a huge undertaking, including contractor design, site clearance, road construction and drainage.

One of the biggest projects in the contract will be the construction of a new elevated bus deck. This will replace the original facility at Westbourne Park, which has since been demolished, and the temporary site, which is still presently in operation.

The facility will need to be capable of parking for 150 buses. It will also need to do more, with requirements including for it to be fitted with a bus wash and refuelling facilities. The time constraints are also challenging, with it being due for delivery in 2013. It will also require a bold approach to construction, thanks largely to its monolithic dimensions.

The design will call for joints in the concrete flooring deck only at defined points in the structure. As a result of this, stage work, resulting in cold joints forming, will probably not be possible. Concrete flooring contractors with proven experience on major civil engineering and private projects will be urged to bid as a result.

As well as the bus deck, further works required under the project will include a final track formation, though completion for this is not expected until 2017.

Interested parties are asked to register expressions of interest by 12:00 pm on 20^th September through the Crossrail eSourcing Portal.