Highways & Transport Maintenance and Construction – Wokingham Borough

Product: binder and surface course inlay
Volume: 4,500 tonnes of 
Main contractor: Heidelberg Materials Contracting with Volker Highways
Client: Wokingham Borough Council

Overview:
Wokingham Borough is a diverse and fast‑growing area that requires a resilient and well‑maintained highways network to support its residential communities, commercial zones and strategic transport corridors. Heidelberg Materials UK delivers essential surfacing and maintenance works in partnership with Volker Highways, supporting the borough’s 725 km road network through planned and responsive activities. The scope includes resurfacing, cold milling, bond coat application and ironwork adjustment, all delivered with a strong focus on safety, sustainability and operational efficiency. Through collaborative planning and responsible delivery, the project strengthens local connectivity and supports long‑term borough growth.

Project details:
Wokingham is a historic market town comprising three towns and fourteen parishes, forming a growing and diverse borough within the county of Berkshire. The area supports a blend of residential communities, commercial zones, and strategic transport corridors, all requiring a well-maintained and future-ready highways network.

To meet this demand, Heidelberg Materials UK is proud to support Volker Highways through the Highways and Transport Maintenance and Construction contract, delivering essential resurfacing and infrastructure works that underpin safety, connectivity, and community well-being.

The scope included a series of road maintenance and resurfacing activities designed to enhance pavement quality, durability, and overall infrastructure integrity. The key components included:

• Surfacing: Application of a new asphalt surface layer to improve ride quality and extend pavement lifespan and execution of works in accordance with local authority specifications and safety standards.
• Bond Coat Spraying: Spraying of bituminous bond coat prior to overlay to ensure optimal adhesion between layers and use of temperature-controlled equipment for consistent application and coverage.
• Cold Milling: Removal of the existing surface through precision-controlled cold milling techniques and management of reclaimed materials for environmental compliance and cost-efficiency.
• Ironwork Adjustment: Lifting and resetting of existing ironworks including manhole covers and drainage inlets, to align with new surface levels. Inspection and refurbishment where required to ensure functional integrity and longevity.

The contract encompasses planned and responsive maintenance across 725 kilometres of roads, including 9 kilometres of motorway. In partnership with Volker Highways, our annual delivery includes the placement of 4,500 tonnes of binder and surface course inlay, representing an annual value of £0.9 million. The programme is delivered through both day and night shifts to accommodate site constraints and traffic management requirements while minimising disruption to network users.

This dual-shift flexibility ensures minimum disruption to daytime network users, accelerated delivery during low-traffic periods and adherence to environmental and noise considerations in residential areas. Our work contributes directly to ride quality and user safety, asset lifecycle extension a reduced need for reactive maintenance. The project has specific strategic importance – the Wokingham network is critical for both local access and regional connectivity, linking urban centres, rural parishes, key infrastructure, and motorways. The contract helps maintain core A and B roads, residential streets and distributor routes as well as commercial and industrial estate corridors. Careful integration of site planning, materials coordination, and stakeholder engagement ensures that delivery aligns with borough growth strategies, construction schedules, and community expectations.

Collaborative delivery with Volker Highways
Our relationship with Volker Highways is built on shared values of quality, transparency, and continuous improvement. As surfacing delivery partner, we provide sustainable material solutions, including low-carbon asphalt blends, on-time logistics through local plant coordination and operational excellence aligned to Volker’s own safety and customer service standards.

Community and environmental responsibility
Beyond road resurfacing, our delivery approach puts local people and the environment first:

• Resident communications and notices ahead of night works
• Waste minimisation and recycling of reclaimed asphalt
• Emission reduction through local sourcing and low-emission plant use
• Traffic and pedestrian access management throughout works

Through these efforts, we maintain not only roads—but trust and transparency within the communities that use them every day.