In May 2012 the Highways Agency, now called Highways England, allowed its first ever daytime closure for routine maintenance on a national trunk road – an innovative idea piloted by SWH Group. SWH operates the A30/A35 in joint venture with Balfour Beatty and is responsible for maintenance activities.

We suggested closing 8.5 miles of the A35 for a full 36 hour period to complete all necessary work in one go, negating the need for several partial closures staggered over the year.  We put the proposition to the HA for the following reasons:

• This way of working creates a much safer environment for...

Minehead Railway Station was opened in 1874, linking the town to Taunton and beyond. It is the seaside terminus of Britain's longest heritage railway.

The site was on the edge of the town centre, the location of the market and works connected with the West Somerset Railway – a new information centre and coffee shop, and a steam engine turntable; hand powered and the first of its kind installed in the country for several decades.

The whole...

A project undertaken at Wellesley Park Primary School has been awarded the Somerset LABC "Best Education Project Award"

SWH Build started works at Wellesley Park Primary School in June 2010. The scheme consisted the controlled demolition of an existing classroom and the build of three classrooms, a staff room and a facilities room. The company is delighted the project won the award. SWH Build Manager, Mark Bradley, comments: "The project went really well and we worked closely with the school to ensure...

As part of a two year scheme, the successful candidates will learn the vital skills needed for highway maintenance through on the job training and at our dedicated training facilities at Rockbeare.

At the end of the two-year Apprenticeship, each candidate will have qualifications in various disciplines, including a Level 2 NVQ, Traffic Management, Street Works and Emergency First Aid at Work.

Simon Bourne, SWH’s Learning and Development Manager, will be supporting the Apprentices throughout the programme along with a dedicated Apprentice Liaison Manager. He comments: “As an Investor in People, we...

This project involved the construction of a new 400 Cu.m reinforced concrete foundation, tied into the existing structure, and protected by a new sheet piled cut off wall.

Between November 2006 and March 2007 SWH Civils carried out repairs and enhancements to the sea wall at Goodrington. The existing 370m long wall was predominantly of masonry construction, supported on a shallow reinforced concrete foundation, protected by a sheet piled cut off wall. As a result of lengthy exposure to the elements, much of the foundation was failing, resulting in the wall beginning to move in places.

The works carried out by SWH Civils...