Worn Tyres Get Lanes To Grips With Inspection Chamber Repairs

A new rapid action inspection chamber maintenance service developed by Lanes Group promises to reduce road hazards – and both the cost and carbon footprint of repairs.

The service, developed to deliver efficiency and sustainability advantages for water companies, combines a new eco-friendly repair material and smart ways of working to achieve more first time fixes.

It promises to speed up the process of repairing broken inspection chambers in roadways which can damage vehicles, contribute to accidents and cause noise nuisance.

Big advantages for clients

The new service was developed by Lanes Group subsidiary Sapphire Solutions for water company United Utilities and has now been adopted by Lanes teams working for Thames Water.

Ty Harling, who heads up field operations for Lanes on behalf of Thames Water, said: “This is an innovative service that delivers big advantages for our clients and for road users, which is why we’re excited to mobilise it.

“It increases the productivity of inspection chamber repair teams and significantly reduces the carbon footprint of their work. We’re hoping the public will see the benefit in terms of a more timely response to their concerns about inspection chambers that need repair.”

At the heart of the new approach is the use of a new material called PMMA, Polymer Modified Mastic Asphalt. This is used to reseat the inspection chamber covers that have broken under the pressure of thousands of vehicles that pass over them every day.

Smaller carbon footprint

The PMMA, replaces 49% of the oil-based bitumen in the asphalt mix. It uses end-of-life waste tyres and other recycled waste materials to produce a material with a carbon footprint 60% lower than regular asphalt that is, itself, fully recyclable.

PMMA is waterproof, void-less, extremely hard wearing, has zero waste, and is able to be heated and mixed directly at the job site.

This simple process change saves up to three hours a day of time spent collecting hot materials from an asphalt plant. The reduction in associated fuel consumption contributes to the service’s smaller carbon footprint.

In the latest development of the service, Thames Water has authorised Lanes to build up a fleet of vans to deliver the new PPMA inspection chamber repair service.

More first time fixes

Each van has a two-person crew with all the expertise, equipment and materials needed to work independently over a shift, carrying out inspection chamber repairs.

Ty Harling said: “The service is around twice as productive as the previous method of repairing inspection chambers. As it’s delivered by a small team in one van it’s less disruptive for road users and we believe first time fixes will increase significantly.

“It’s a smart way to deliver excellent service and value for Thames Water’s 15 million wastewater customers.”