To support the construction of the new line, MPact-Thales, our main contractor, has set up temporary site compounds to provide welfare facilities and offices for staff working on the construction of the Metrolink extensions. The main East Manchester Line facility is located on Pollard Street, close to the Great Ancoats Street junction.
Once in place, the compound will be used for the delivery of materials and to store equipment and machinery that will be used for construction. It will also be the main site office for the East Manchester Line. The site will be securely fenced and access controlled with 24-hour site security and externally monitored CCTV. Please note that construction sites and compounds can be dangerous places - sites are fenced in for the protection of the public - for your own safety, please do not try to access the site.
The working hours for all construction work for the new lines will be 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, in line with the Code of Construction Practice for the Metrolink extensions. The compound will support these working hours and therefore you may see activity on site on either side of these hours for the workforce to arrive at / depart from the compound. Any construction work which takes place outside these hours will be agreed in advance by the relevant Local Authority. This will mean that the compound will be operational to support any work outside the normal working hours from time to time. The compound will also be used by office based staff whose working hours will not be restricted. It is expected that these will normally be between 7.30am and 8pm although access to the site office car park from Pollard Street will be 24 hour.
This site has been chosen as the location for the main compound as it is very close to Great Ancoats Street, where there will be a significant amount of construction work to build the tunnel for the new Metrolink line to run through. The site is also easily accessible for delivery traffic, helping to reduce possible congestion through residential areas and has good public transport links.
The site is expected to be used as the main compound for the East Manchester Line for the during the construction work. It is anticipated that the operation of the compound will reduce as the project moves into the testing and commissioning phase, prior to the line opening in Spring 2012.
As with any construction and site set up, some noise will be inevitable during the working hours of 8am to 6pm. In line with the CoCP, every effort will be made to minimise both the duration and level of the noise. Once the compound is operational, there maybe some noise as plant and machinery leave and return to the site during the course of the day.
Whilst some dust is inevitable and can be affected by weather conditions, we do not anticipate a significant amount of dust being created. In line with the CoCP, every effort will be made to minimise any dust from this work, for example, by dampening down any debris. The main access roads within the compounds will also be surfaced to reduce any dust and dirt from vehicles leaving the compound.
The stringent CoCP specifies the health and safety practices that must be observed by the contractor carrying out any work related to the Metrolink extensions. This includes measures to protect the general public during the work. Please note that sites are fenced in for the protection of the public - for your own safety, please do not try to access the site.
There will be a mixture of construction and delivery traffic to and from the compound on a regular basis. All delivery traffic will be directed to the compound via Great Ancoats Street St to avoid increasing traffic in residential areas. Further Metrolink Compounds Briefing Pack - January 09 information on the proposed traffic management for the construction phase of the Great Ancoats Street underpass will be available in the next few months.
There will be approximately 60 staff based full time on the site throughout the duration of the project, although this number will vary according to the programme. The facility will provide approximately 150 parking spaces for staff based at the compound and for site workers using it as their main welfare facility, depending on the construction activity at that time.
Once the East Manchester Line is complete, Metrolink will run through the compound area. For the remaining land within the compound site, the current proposal is that the area will be reinstated once the new line is complete.
