GRS continues the momentum at Jack Walker Way in Blackburn

GRS is on site at Jack Walker Way, Blackburn, as part of our next phase of works as we deliver the surface water outfall into the new section of the development for Persimmon Homes.

It’s critical work that includes additional manhole construction and the associated drainage network.

The site sits close to a local school, and activity is being carefully coordinated around it. Road closure arrangements are in place until 28 August to keep the programme moving without disrupting the school.

One of the biggest challenges has been below ground rather than above it. Locating and investigating an existing gas main - alongside identifying further underground services - has taken time out of the programme. GRS has responded with additional weekend working to recover lost ground and keep momentum up, just as you’d expect.

Further up the site, the road construction package is progressing in parallel. Capping works are underway, with kerbing following behind as each section becomes ready. Significant progress has been made, though a substantial amount of work remains before completion.

A full programme has now been mapped through to Christmas, with a strong pipeline of activity planned across the coming months.

Paul Smalling, Contracts Manager, GRS, said:

“This is one of the busiest periods we’ve had in a long time, and Jack Walker Way is a good example of what that looks like on the ground - dealing with what the ground throws at you, working weekends to hold the programme, and pushing on with roads and drainage in parallel.

“We have a steady flow of lads that have been with us for a long time working on this scheme and we’re getting on with the job. That said we’re recruiting to keep pace with the amount of work coming through, and that’s completely normal for our business as we head into the final quarter of the year. We are listening to any established pipe layers or groundworkers that could add value to GRS.”

The picture at Jack Walker Way reflects the wider business: workload levels described as the strongest they’ve been for a considerable period, with recruitment now under way to address labour shortages and support GRS’s expanding programme of works.