Irwell Riverside Housing Development


Salford, Manchester

Client: URBAN SPLASH
Main Contractor: Williams Construction
Surfacing Contractor: Tarmac Contracting
Location: Irwell Riverside, Manchester
Completion: October 2018

The Challenge


A distinctive, aesthetic surface was required for this modern housing development located on the River Irwell in Salford, to the north of Manchester. The development consisted of town houses with driveways and parking areas in a bold, contemporary, geometric design. The new surface would need to differentiate this housing development and attract potential home buyers. It would also need to be durable enough to resist frequent vehicle traffic and power-assisted turning and be maintenance-free.

Our Solution


The project involved a 6km green bus lane for the No. 67 bus service along the A5127 Lichfield Road and A38 Tyburn Road in Birmingham. ULTICOLOUR classic green was supplied and installed by our contracting team. 2,500 tonnes of 14mm green ULTICOLOUR providing effective demarcation of the three metre wide bus lanes along one of the busiesULTICOLOUR, Tarmac’s range of coloured asphalts was chosen in a buff quartzite colour. Using a high performance clear binder, it offers far brighter colours than conventional asphalts. It is also highly durable, delivering lasting performance, even in highly trafficked environments. ULTICOLOUR coloured asphalt is available in a range of colours from bright red and greens to more neutral buff, natural and grey colours. This gives architects the freedom to choose a surface colour that complements their design. ULTICOLOUR is laid quickly over large areas using conventional paving machines. As a result work was completed quickly. t routes in the City Centre.

Results and Benefits


As planned, 115 tonnes of Buff Quartzite was supplied to the site and laid by the Tarmac Contracting North West Surfacing team. Tarmac’s dedicated Ulticolour paver was used on this site, to ensure an excellent finish. The paver is used purely for the installation of buff and natural shades, eliminating any risk of colour contamination. Work was completed within just one day, in line with the allocated programme time. After hearing about ULTICOLOUR’s impressive performance on other sites, the client was confident about the long term durability on this development. "This was the first time that we had seen this type of surfacing and we were extremely pleased with the results. Tarmac carried out the work in an extremely professional and first class manner and the result looked amazing!" Damian Williams, Director, Williams Construction (Stockport) Limited