Solar Gates UK  

Maidstone,  Kent 
United Kingdom
http://www.solargates.co.uk

• Booth: 307

Solar Gates UK is the leading manufacturer and installer of solar barriers, gates and personnel protection for highways, construction, rail, and commercial spaces. Creators of the unique and innovative INSTABOOM and SOSEC barriers, we are passionate about your safety and security. Innovative • Capable • Passionate • Compassionate

 Press Releases

• GS6 INSTABOOM protects M20 work lane from overhead strikes. Zero Carbon:Zero Harm (Nov 01, 2022)

  The UK Department for Transport announced in February 2020 that a new Moveable Barrier System would be installed on the M20, J8-9, between Hollingbourne at J8 and Ashford. It can be operated when required as part of a contraflow to permit the motorway and junctions to remain open during Channel ports disruption and saving £millions of possible losses to the Kent economy during such closures.

  The project’s objective was to allow port-bound lorries to be held on the motorway while all other traffic continues to have access to the motorway in both directions. Unlike the previous solution implemented in 2019, the new Moveable Barrier System will allow the M20 to operate in its full capacity 99.9% of the time and only when required a contraflow could be deployed overnight.

  

  The 12-month project involves heavy works on the central reservation along a 13 mile stretch of the busy motorway. With over 20 overhead cables and structures in the works area, Balfour Beatty have adopted use of the GS6 INSTABOOM, solar barriers, to protect each hazard from accidental strikes. The solar barriers installed in front of each of the 20 hazard locations involve an over-height detection laser, 50m before the hazard, that triggers the solar powered INSTABOOM barrier to close 15m in front of the hazard if an over height vehicle is detected. The closing INSTABOOM ensures that any over height vehicles are contained before they reach the hazard, eliminating a potential deadly strike.

  Mike Omond, Strategic Specialist Plant Manager, Balfour Beatty, commented "Installation of the over height detecting GS6 INSTABOOM barriers on this project is a key part of the many safety measures we mandate during such works. While speed of project delivery is always key, safety comes first. The GS6 INSTABOOM barriers allow us to eliminate overhead strikes in the 20 hazard locations in the works area. The solar powered nature of the INSTBAOOM range is absolutely in line with our Zero Carbon : Zero Harm policy"

• INSTABOOM SAVES BALFOUR BEATTY £2.4m on M4 SMART MOTORWAY PROJECT (Nov 01, 2022)

  Balfour Beatty Vinci JV have been awarded the M4 (junctions 3-12) smart motorway upgrade in one of Europe’s largest highways construction endeavours. The project has up to 110 banksmen, every day, over the 32-mile site who need to be protected from worksite incursions. In conjunction with ‘Raising the Bar 27’, risk assessments highlight the need for physical barrier’s at multiple points along the motorway to protect the workforce and cut incursions onto the worksite. The challenge was to do this while reducing budget costs.

  Following the initial consultation, it was established that the solution needed to be unmanned, physical, barrier’s that would prevent public incursions entering from the live lane. The barrier required had to be quick to deploy, compact and portable, power free and able cover a range of road widths.

  

  Solar Gates UK solved Balfour Beatty’s problem with INSTABOOM. It is a ‘game changer’ in highway safety allowing the monotonous and dangerous job of manning a barrier-guard to be done automatically. Reducing the number of operatives having to stand in the line of moving traffic to protect work crews further down the lane by providing a physical remote barrier, stopping unauthorised vehicles entering an active construction area. INSTABOOM has dramatically reduced the sites’ PVM budget and re-deploying staff to more productive work.

  “Introducing INSTABOOM solar barriers across our contracts, has significantly improved safety by removing a person with a static barrier and having INSTABOOM controlled by the machine operators, ensuring peoples’ safety across our sites” explains Mike Omond, Plant Specialist, Balfour Beatty.

  “We have over 70 INSTABOOM barriers on the M4 contract alone, over the next 2 years, the barriers will give us savings in the region of £2m from our manned guarding budget. The success of INSTABOOM on the M4 has seen us roll them out on multiple highways projects across the UK. We are proudly managing safety by introducing innovation and products that make a difference now and drive our Balfour Beatty Zero Harm policy.” Concludes Omond.

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