The site fronted onto the former N6 national primary road and had no pedestrian or cycle facilities. Due to the wide nature of the single carriageway with hard shoulders, there was a need to re-imagine the public infrastructure, to link the school site to the town of Kilbeggan and to make the environment safe for visitors to the school. Within those requirements, there was also a need to encourage alternative modes of travel.
The ORS team worked closely with the Local Authority to develop a new traffic-calmed route in accordance with the Design Manual for Urban Streets and new active travel measures to provide a safer and more pedestrian-friendly environment for visitors.
Engineering design challenges
A lack of existing surface and foul public drainage services and very poor ground conditions for the structure and infrastructure proposed on the site caused many design challenges. These challenges were overcome by the ORS team through the use of geo-membranes, ground piling, construction of new drainage outfalls and the design of a new foul pumping station to take foul water from the site towards the town centre through a new rising main network.
The site was characterised by difficult ground conditions that needed an extensive geotechnical design to accommodate underground services and in relation to piling for the structure. The site levels and distance from public sewers required the development of an onsite pumping station. This was a complex project that involved a large amount of community engagement throughout the planning and development phases, and extensive liaison with Westmeath County Council.
