ABOUT
The Sprint Bus Rapid Transit corridor is a key element of the Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) strategy to deliver an efficient, integrated, zero-emission transport network for the region.
Leading the £92.7m Phase One of this project, Hecla oversaw the development and construction of new bus lanes on two artery highways, the creation of 70 purpose-built bus shelters and the installation of priority signalling at busy junctions.
The delivery of phase one saw this project win 4 regional and 3 national awards for project execution and environmental achievements.
First approved by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) board in February 2020, the Sprint priority bus corridor links Walsall to Solihull and Birmingham airport in one continuous route. It was mandated that the project was to be completed ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as the newly built infrastructure was an intrinsic element of the event logistics, leaving an abnormally tight window of 18 months for the build which was achieved by way of a creative contracting model.
Despite challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic throughout the build project between 2020 to 2022, the project was delivered on time and within budget, with the results for communities and travel time exceeding initial business case with a 22% improvement in bus travel times following phase one completion.
Working with a variety of stakeholders across four local authorities with conflicting requirements, as well as engaging with local communities and residents, Hecla assembled an effective delivery team to ensure robust project, commercial and contract management to overcome the many challenges and deliver an award winning public sector transport project.
