Nottingham already had a successful tram and rail link which opened in 2004 and runs from the north of Nottingham into the city centre. Phase 2 of this network system started in early 2012 and created: two additional routes, 17.5km of track, 28 tram stops outside of the city centre and links the city with Nottingham University, the Queens Medical Centre, Beeston, Chilwell and Clifton. This £570m expansion project means 20 million more passengers can use the tramway every year. This prestigious project was a joint venture undertaken by Taylor Woodrow and Alstom.
The project involved foundations for the (OLE) Overhead Line Equipment supports. Roger Bullivant Limited (RB) was contracted to install piles for these supports.
The foundations, designed by Mott MacDonald, utilised a unique cage design that incorporated a steel stub column base within the cage. This design was adopted to reduce construction time as the support fixing plates removed the need to cut down and cap piles.
The challenges included installing piles in a heavily urbanised environment while keeping the existing infrastructure intact, and with minimum disturbance to nearby businesses and residents.