SWTRA

Case study: High-impact, zero-downtime fibre install for SWTRA

The problem

SWTRA was working on behalf of the Welsh Government to install ducting and fibre optic cabling from the Prince of Wales Bridge along the M4, A40, and A477 to the western ports. It was a major infrastructure upgrade, but it came with complex logistical, environmental, and operational challenges.

The route ran through busy roads with limited access windows and areas with protected wildlife. Delays or mistakes would have had major knock-on effects.

Main challenges included:

• High-traffic areas with little room for disruption
• Tight deadlines that traditional trenching wouldn’t meet
• Environmental restrictions to avoid disturbing habitats of protected species
• Harsh winter weather meant equipment and processes needed to be reliable

The solution

2 Rent and FNS were brought in to handle the final 10km. We supported the site teams with practical, ready-to-go solutions that worked around the weather and environmental constraints.

That included:

• Our Cleanfast Trencher, simultaneously trenching whilst vacuuming the spoil directly from the trench and causing no mess at the jobsite
• The Innomixer, which batched and pumped our Instafill fast-setting flowable concrete on site, cured within one hour to allow the final reinstatement.
• Roadmender mastic – made with 65% recycled material – is a sustainable alternative to tarmac. Applied as a flowable product, negating the need for compaction and providing a watertight seal by overbanding the edges of the trench.
• All materials kept close to site for zero downtime

The results

The result was a faster, more efficient process. In some sections, teams hit up to 250 metres per night, more than double what would’ve been possible using traditional methods.

Andy Cole, SWTRA Project Manager, said:

[With] traditional trenching, we would get maybe 80 to 100 metres a night, on a good day. With this process, we were getting closer to 250m on some nights. It’s a very innovative process; you can almost walk behind it and see the duct going into the ground.

• 134 days ahead of schedule – The team saved nearly five months compared to standard trenching, significantly cutting traffic management and prelim costs.
• Carbon output reduced by 45 tonnes – Initial estimates were around 60 tonnes, but came in close to 15 tonnes thanks to reduced excavation and haulage.
• No environmental disruption – Wildlife habitats remained untouched, and there were no compliance issues.
• Consistent daily handovers – Despite working through some tough Welsh weather, the roads were handed back to SWTRA on time each morning.
• Delivered under budget – The joint effort between 2 Rent, FNS, and Centregreat kept costs under control, delivering the project on time and under budget.