The M4 J3 to J12 Smart Motorway Project works are taking place on a 32-mile stretch of road between London and Theale in Berkshire. The road is being widened in both directions to accommodate four lanes and will become a smart motorway. Additionally, eleven bridges across the M4 are being demolished and rebuilt and four more that are carrying the motorway over roads, railways and rivers are being widened. The work on the M4 is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 and is projected to cost up to £1billion.
As a Strategic Partner, Hercules has supplied labour to the project since its commencement and are currently supplying more than 150 highly competent and experienced workers across a variety of trades and skillsets, including Senior Foremen, Streetworks Supervisors, Gangers, Multi-Skilled Operatives, various Plant Operatives, Traffic Marshalls and Groundworkers.Throughout the duration of the project, we have maintained 100% compliance with our client’s stringent quarterly audit requirements and our dedicated Operations and Resource Teams work closely with the project team to ensure that all ongoing labour requirements are met quickly and efficiently, often fulfilling short notice requests in order that the project continues to meet its tight schedule.
In recognition for Hercules’ successful delivery on the M4 and other projects, we were awarded the Highways Supply Chain Award 2020 for Delivery. In addition to supplying quality skilled labour to the project, we have delivered substantial social value outcomes for the project, with over £4.5 million of Social Value delivered to date, and we have also brought a number of initiatives to the project.
One of our most successful initiatives was for the delivery of flu vaccinations to the project. In November 2019, we offered to supply and deliver, completely free of charge, a flu vaccination via our Mobile Health Screening trailer to any of the 800 people on the project who wanted one. In addition to the health and wellbeing benefits this offered, it also provided significant time efficiency and cost savings to the project, as well as carbon emissions reductions through the direct-at-site service (details of which can be found in our M4 Flu Jabs Case Study). The initiative was so successful that we were invited to deliver it again on the project in every subsequent year, as well as on numerous other projects we are involved with.
Initiatives such as this are industry leading and demonstrate that not only do we deliver highly trained, skilled workers from areas local to projects, but that we are also committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our workforce and delivering added value for our clients on every project we are involved with.
