Highways Agency

Layout and history of the pertinent section of motorway

3.1 It is understood that the material section of the M62 Motorway was constructed in 1974 to technical standards published by the then Department of Transport (now DETR).

3.2 The westbound section of the M62 Motorway between Junction 35 (Langham) and Junction 34 (Whitley Bridge) is generally straight in its alignment and consists of three running lanes and a hard shoulder. As in normal circumstances, broken white line markings and reflecting road studs are used to delineate the running lanes of the carriageway.

3.3 On the approach to the incident scene, the edges of the westbound running carriageway are delineated by continuous white line markings, with the nearside edge line consisting of vibra-line (known colloquially as "rumble-strip"), which is designed to provide audible warning to road users that their vehicle is leaving the running carriageway and entering the hard shoulder. This vibra-line is discussed in greater detail in Chapter 6 of this report.

3.4 The nearside edge of the hard shoulder exhibits a continuous kerb, which is approximately 75 millimetres high. The verge is grassed over.

3.5 On the approach to Little Heck Railway Bridge, the westbound carriageway exhibits a gradual incline and the crossfall, i.e. the transverse slope, is toward the nearside.

3.6 The bridge has the express purpose of carrying the M62 Motorway over the East Coast Main Line railway.

3.7 A continuous double-sided safety fence is provided in the central reserve of the motorway, in order to physically prevent errant vehicles from crossing from one carriageway to the other.

3.8 A length of safety fence is provided on the nearside verge, in advance of, and connected to, the parapet of Little Heck Railway Bridge. This length of safety fence is discussed in detail in the following section and Chapter 9 of this report.

3.9 It is understood that the current surfacing of the M62 Motorway in the vicinity of the material location, was laid in 1993 (westbound carriageway) and 1995 (eastbound carriageway).

3.10 The 1993 resurfacing operation on the westbound carriageway was undertaken as part of major maintenance works undertaken on a length of approximately 7.2 kilometres of this carriageway between Marker Posts 141/8 and 149/0 (with Little Heck Bridge being located near Marker Post 146/1).

3.11 The contract for the works was let by Humberside County Council (then the Maintaining Agent for this section of the M62 Motorway) and was won by Tilcon Construction Limited. It appears that the surfacing at the material location, i.e. in the general vicinity of Little Heck Bridge, was laid between 1 and 5 November 1993, utilising a 40 mm thick wearing course layer of hot rolled asphalt with embedded 20 mm pre-coated chippings.

3.12 The specification for the surfacing is consistent with Highways Agency standards for such applications and the results of post-lay performance/quality control tests indicate that the newly laid surface met the relevant standards for such criteria as surface regularity, which is effectively a measure of anticipated ride quality, and texture depth.

3.13 It appears that a short section of the inside running lane (Lane 1) of the westbound carriageway as it crosses the deck of Little Heck Bridge was re-surfaced again in April 1998. It is understood that this work was undertaken as a result of, and to rectify, the presence of wheel track rutting. Mr Hart's vehicle left the carriageway before reaching the bridge and this section of re-surfacing.

Layout and History of Little Heck Bridge and the Safety Fence

3.14 Little Heck Railway Bridge is a single span, simply supported, reinforced and prestressed concrete structure which carries the M62 Motorway over the East Coast Main railway Line (ECML).

3.15 The bridge is at a skew angle of 11°54'45'' to the motorway, and has a skew span of 19.14 metres. The overall width of the bridge between parapet faces is 33.9 metres, measured square to the deck fascia, with overall carriageway widths of 11.0 metres.

3.16 The designs for the Little Heck Railway Bridge were formulated between October 1971 and June 1972 by the North Eastern Road Construction Unit (NERCU) and the bridge was constructed and commissioned in 1974 upon the opening of the Whitley Bridge to Pollington section of the M62 Motorway.

3.17 On each side of the bridge is a normal containment parapet, given the designation P5. This parapet type has been tested, in controlled test conditions, with a 1500 kg vehicle, impacting the parapet at 110 km/h at an angle of 20°.

3.18 Each parapet is a two rail steel system, mounted on top of reinforced concrete walls. Solid aluminium infill plates were attached to the parapets over the full width of the railway as a part of the later electrification of the railway line.

3.19 The approaches to the bridge are protected by lengths of untensioned, single sided, open box beam (OBB) safety fence, joined to the ends of the parapets using appropriate connection pieces. The safety fence immediately to the east of the bridge on the westbound carriageway exhibits full height for 33.5 metres in advance of the parapet, plus an additional 9.2 metres of ramp down to a concrete terminal. This provides a total length of 42.7 metres. The set-back distances of the safety fence (i.e. the distance between the traffic face of the OBB and the edge of the carriageway) are shown on Drawing No. 03719/106/2/001, to the rear of this report.

3.20 As-built drawings prepared after construction in 1974 show that the parapet was initially protected at both ends by an OBB safety fence, as it is now. However, it appears that the configuration of the fencing may have been altered since the opening of the bridge in 1974.

3.21 This conclusion has been reached due to the as-built drawings (1974) showing the safety fence to be constructed in a straight line, which is not consistent with the set-back flare of the safety fence currently visible today. There is also a mass of concrete in the soil beneath one part of the existing safety fence, which would be consistent with the spacing and location of the supporting posts for, at least that part of the fence, having been altered.

3.22 It is considered likely that the realignment of the safety fence took place during the major maintenance work undertaken on that section of the westbound carriageway in 1993. This is due to the as-built drawings (1974) showing no flare at the ramped down end of the safety fence, but this flare being present both on the 1993 maintenance drawings, and at the time of writing this report.

3.23 In August 1985, British Rail wrote to the then Department of the Environment and Transport seeking approval to improve the parapets of Little Heck Bridge prior to their electrification of the East Coast Main Line. The improvement was required in order for the parapets to continue to comply with standards, as Technical Memorandum BE 5 (1992) Clause 205 (c), states:

"On bridges over railways with existing or programmed overhead electrification, parapets consisting of a plinth surmounted by metal posts and horizontal rails [as at the material location] shall be provided with solid or infill panels immediately above the top of the plinth up to the full height of the parapet."

3.24 (Nb. the nature and status of BE 5 is discussed in detail in Chapter 9 of this report).

3.25 As a result of this communication and the planned electrification, solid aluminium cladding panels were fitted to the parapets in May 1987 by Lindley Fabricators Limited. The main line was then electrified in June 1989.