This project which kept me going for most of 2019 is a new Lidl store. Sounds straightforward but here's the interesting bit. To get to the store we have to divert the River Lavant through 35m of culverts and re-aligning the river. Then that will enable us build a roundabout where the river currently is, then build 100m of adoptable carriageway. This will then open up this plot of land which will eventually meet the retail park round the back of the crematorium. This will free up 6 more retail units.

It involves a bit of everything:

• New Lidl store with 130 car parking spaces
• s278 works -diverting the River Lavant through large culverts and river re-alignment
• s278 works -new roundabout on Westhampnett Road
• 100m of adoptable carriageway with 2 spurs for future development.
• 1800m2 attenuation tank under the car park.
• New cycle path network.

Soldi dont employ site engineers, so they needed someone on a temporary basis who can supply the instrument, a laptop with autocad and get on with it.  Cooper Geomatics supplies everthing. My duties here as the Site Engineer is setting everything out, surveys , material quantities, as builts etc

• Setting up profiles for the road and car park dig
• Setting out the 230 displacement piles for the store and retaining wall, then the pile caps and groundbeams.
• Setting out the 85 sets of holding down bolts and lining up the steel frame.
• Setting out the base slab for 35m of twin culverts and then landing the culverts in place
• Setting out the 200m of sheet piles for the river diversion
• Setting out all the drainage comprising manholes, gullies, pipework, attenuation tank, aco channels, foul sewer diversion
• Setting out all the kerbs
• Quantifying items like arisings, stone, concrete, drainage, kerbs, muck away
• Setting out for 278 works comprising a new roundabout, re-alignment of Westhampnett Road, drainage, headwalls etc
• Making sure all the drawings tie up
• Various surveys as required
• As builts

I have also been setting out RC works, bolts and externals at Southampton Lidl whilst their engineer was on holiday.

I was also the engineer for a new Coop store near Sherborne. Its quite a small scheme of 350m2 with 25 parking spaces which I covered on an ad hoc basis, but still involved 24 foundations with bolts and groundbeams and car park.

This has been a great job, I enjoyed working with Soldi. Minimal fuss and nonsense, the job got done to a high standard.