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NPC provides brand new 1.5m pile cropper for work on £460 million A417 scheme

In 2023, Kier began preparatory work on 3.4 miles of new dual carriageway in Gloucestershire on behalf of National Highways. The so-called ‘Missing Link’ A417 scheme is set to improve the connection between two dual carriageway sections of the A417 at Brockworth and Cowley, and links between the M4 and M5. Given the importance of the project, Kier and its sub-contractors are using the very latest hydraulic pile croppers manufactured, supplied and supported by National Pile Croppers.

The A417/A419 provides an important route between Gloucester and Swindon that helps connect the Midlands/North to the South of England. It's an alternative to the M5/M4 route via Bristol. However, a  ‘Missing Link’ - a three mile stretch of single lane carriageway on the A417 between the Brockworth bypass and Cowley roundabout in Gloucestershire - causes many problems for road users and those who live or work in the area. Congestion can be frequent and unpredictable, so some motorists divert onto local roads to avoid tailbacks. This causes difficulties for neighbouring communities as local roads were not built to accommodate so much traffic.

In order to remedy the situation, National Highways’ A417 Missing Link scheme is set to deliver 3.4 miles of new dual carriageway connecting the existing A417 Brockworth bypass with the existing A417 dual carriageway south of Cowley. A section to the west of the existing Air Balloon roundabout is set to follow the existing A417 corridor. A new junction will be constructed at Shab Hill, providing a link from the A417 to the A436 towards Oxford and into Birdlip, whilst a new junction near Cowley will replace the existing Cowley roundabout.

In addition to the above, the existing A417 between the Air Balloon roundabout and the Cowley roundabout are to be repurposed. This will involve the conversion of some lengths of this existing road into a route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, while retaining other sections to maintain local access for residents. As part of this scheme, National Highways is proposing to plant new, native and high-quality woodland, grassland, trees and hedgerows to help preserve and create additional habitats for local wildlife in the area.

The next stage will see the construction of a completely new section of road from the Air Balloon roundabout. This has resulted in some 1.5 million cubic metres of rock being excavated – enough to fill 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools – and the removal of 300,000 cubic metres of topsoil to create the new road over the next 18 months. The majority of the materials removed from the landscape will be stored and repurposed throughout the build to help to minimise the scheme's carbon footprint and impact on the environment.

As the project moves through 2024, work has also started on several new bridges and crossings, including Gloucestershire Way, Cowley Overbridge, and Stockwell Farm Overbridge.  These will help to eradicate the notorious bottleneck, support regional plans for more homes and jobs, and improve life for local communities. In order to construct the bridges and crossings, a series of concrete piles have been installed. These will of course require cropping, and to this end, Kier called in the expertise and equipment of National Pile Croppers.

Given the importance and sensitivity of the scheme, National Pile Croppers is using its latest solution, a 1.5m diameter 12.5 link Heavy Duty (HD) CFA Cropper pile cropper.  This has been developed specifically for dealing with augured (round) piles, ranging from 300mm to 2,000mm in diameter.  The range has been continually developed and updated based on feedback from customers working directly with NPC’S technical team. Specifically in response to meet customer demands, the new Heavy Duty CFA links have a new and improved design to help achieve minimal downtime for working to demanding  timescales. Since their introduction they have become the go-to option for the reduction of larger diameter piles, being able to crop piles up to and above 2m in diameter.

National Pile Croppers director Lee Aston explains: “NPC Heavy Duty CFA links have a new and improved design to help achieve minimal downtime whilst working to demanding programme timescales. CFA Links remain a stalwart of the fleet and a crucial option for the reduction of larger diameter piles. The croppers being used preparing piles on the Missing Link scheme is fully backed and supported by the National Pile Cropper team so as to ensure that the piles are cropped efficiently, effectively and above all, safely.”

The croppers have been such a success that when other applications arose, National Pile Croppers was called upon once more. “The CFA Links did the job and impressed one and all. This meant that when it came to dealing with contiguous and secant piles, we had just the tools in the form of our QXXL and Quad Large croppers. These use four powerful and fully synchronised rams with specially designed blades to give a superb pile cut. The cropper also holds the cut pile section safely for removal to a designated safe area,” says Lee who concludes, “The success of the croppers means that we will be supplying croppers and assistance for the next couple of years for work on various parts of the development.”

The project is due for completion by early 2027 when Kier will formally hand the road back to National Highways operating team, with the project fully completed at the end of 2028.

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