Greenway scheme wins top ‘Oscar’

The controversial project involved a major expansion of the Dewsbury treatment works, and then laying a 13km sewer pipeline along the Greenway from North Bierley near Cleckheaton to Dewsbury.

The work had to be done to comply with the EU Freshwater Directive and Yorkshire Water opted to use the greenway as a cheaper and less disruptive alternative to digging up and laying the pipe underneath roads.

The greenway, owned by transport charity Sustrans, was closed in two phases to allow the work to be carried out and the cycleway reinstated once it was complete.

The innovative scheme was one of 48 projects competing for eight awards at the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Pro-Yorkshire awards at the Elland Road Pavilion, in Leeds, on Friday, and scooped the infrastructure category.

The awards submission said “The project has been extremely well received by the local residents and offers both capital and operational savings, providing a future proofed solution.”

The first phase of the scheme involved the major expansion of the Dewsbury treatment works and was completed in mid 2009. The second was the construction of the 13km pipeline through towns in the Spen Valley and across Dewsbury, and was completed last summer.

“It was this part of the strategy which required the greatest level of design innovation and team working to succeed,” the submission added.

“A disused railway line converted for use as a cycle track was identified as part of the proposed pipeline corridor avoiding congested roads.

“Part of the route also followed an operational railway line where Network Rail allowed 1km of the pipeline to be installed under a disused track bed. Tunnelled crossings of the River Calder and the live railway were also undertaken along with a bridge over the Aire and Calder Navigation.”

After the awards ceremony YW’s Richard Sears said: “We and our contract partners are delighted to have won this award. The construction of the new sewer along the Spen Valley Greenway was an incredibly challenging project but one that has delivered significant benefits to the River Spen and River Calder.

“We are incredibly grateful to the residents of the Spen Valley and users of the Greenway for the patience they showed during the course of this scheme. We were pleased to leave behind several new cycle routes in the area as a lasting legacy of our work.”