Esh Construction public realm works will ensure historic wagonway route is maintained.

A key milestone has been met on the Riverside Sunderland development as Esh Construction progresses public realm improvement works between the Stadium of Light, Sheepfolds Stables and the River Wear.

The County Durham headquartered contractor is delivering the project on behalf of Sunderland City Council. The scheme incorporates improved pedestrian and cycle connections, critical infrastructure and street scene enhancement as part of the Riverside Sunderland regeneration programme.

It will connect the Stadium of Light to a new pedestrianised square in front of Sheepfolds Stables and onwards to the City Centre via the New Wear Footbridge. A new culvert – a key element of the infrastructure works – is now taking shape and will form a 10m wide direct route over the existing cobbled riverside footpath.

This week, Esh has installed a series of pre-cast concrete (PCC) box culvert units, which will maintain a designated enclosed pedestrian route, beneath the newly created public realm, from the south side of the Stadium of Light down to the River Wear.

A total of five 5m wide x 3.5m tall PCC box culvert units, each weighing over 27 tonnes, were installed using a 400-tonne capacity mobile crane and subsequent works including the construction of retaining walls around the culverts are now underway. Once complete, the structure will ensure the historic public right of way to the Riverside is maintained.

Rod Milne, Contract Manager at Esh Construction, said: “The installation of the precast concrete units outside of Sheepfolds Stables marks a key moment in this project. Having already excavated more than 2,000 tonnes of materials through our enabling works operations, the placement of these culverts is a significant step in bringing the project to life.”

“We have been working very closely with Sunderland City Council on the scheme, which will restore, regenerate and repurpose large swathes of land in this neighbourhood. As the project proceeds into a major paving installation phase, residents will really start to see a change to the landscape in the coming weeks.”

Esh Construction has been on site at Sheepfolds since the turn of the year, with the enabling and drainage works nearing completion. 220m3 of concrete was poured to form a reinforced concrete base slab, which was installed to support the PCC box culvert units, which in turn will maintain the historic public right of way to/from the River Wear.

High quality public realm paving works are ongoing, with 5,000m2 of natural stone paving to be laid, and new trees and planters being installed to help characterise the finished project.

The public realm improvements are part of a wider project to regenerate the area around Sheepfolds and the Stadium of Light, as detailed in the Riverside Sunderland masterplan.

Spanning 32-hectares, Riverside Sunderland is one of the UK’s most ambitious urban regeneration projects. Four Grade A office buildings have already been constructed across the site, as has City Hall, the 120-bedroom Holiday Inn, , the Riverside Multi-Storey Car Park, several bars and restaurants and the Sheepfolds Stables leisure development.

Work is also progressing at pace on Riverside Park Plots 2 and 3, where the project involves the creation of a new park entrance, landscaped park area fronting onto Silksworth Row, and Kingsley Gardens – an Allotment Garden situated adjacent to the new Vaux Housing development.

The construction work includes earthworks, footway construction; reinforced concrete walls with ‘paddlestone cladding’ and feature lighting sections, including bespoke structures, furniture and significant soft landscaping.

Cllr Kevin Johnston, portfolio holder for housing, regeneration, and business, said: “It’s fantastic to see work continuing apace on the new public realm improvements at Riverside Sunderland.

“Once complete, the new pedestrian route will combine with the New Wear Footbridge to significantly improve connectivity from the city centre to destinations such as the Stadium of Light, HICSA and Sheepfolds Stables, as well as providing access to the new homes and communities which are being created. It is a key part of the Riverside Sunderland development which, once complete, will see the city’s skyline transformed for generations to come.”

To find out more about Esh Construction, visit www.eshgroup.co.uk