Duradrain still performing well on the A550 Welsh Road after nearly five years
The A550 Welsh Road at Woodbank, near Chester, links the M53 motorway with North Wales and carries a steady mix of commuter, commercial and freight traffic. When Cheshire West and Chester Council planned maintenance work on this strategic route, it needed a way to manage surface water that would also stand up to heavy use.
In December 2021, Duraproducts supplied Duradrain Combined Kerb Drainage for the scheme, which formed part of wider carriageway improvements. The aim was to improve drainage performance, extend the life of the pavement and cut down on future maintenance on a route the region relies on.
About Duradrain
Duradrain is a combined kerb and drainage system, which means the kerb and the drainage channel come as a single unit. Surface water runs off the carriageway, enters the channel along the kerb line and is carried away to outlets within the channel body. Because water is collected along the whole length of the kerb rather than at isolated points, large areas can be drained quickly and the road surface is better protected.
The units are made from recycled polymer, with around 70% recycled content. Each one contains the equivalent of 199 recycled bottles, caps and closures. They are also light, which means less energy is required to transport and install them. At the end of their service life, units can be reused, recycled or have their carbon recovered.
Duradrain carries the CE mark, complies with EN 1433:2002 and has its own Environmental Product Declaration. More than 600,000 Duraproducts units have now been installed across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.
Why Duradrain was chosen
Bringing the kerb and drainage channel together means the carriageway edge can be built in one operation rather than two. That made installation quicker than a conventional kerb and gully arrangement, which was important on a busy road like the A550.
The units also resist corrosion, and their hydraulic performance suits a route that sees regular heavy rainfall and spray. Their significantly lower weight compared with traditional products also removes the need for heavy cutting tools and large machinery, so there is less lifting on site and less time spent working alongside live traffic during installation. The council also weighed whole-life costs, since a system that needs little upkeep reduces the number of return visits to a live carriageway.
Strong performance over first five years
The installation is approaching its fifth year in service and continues to perform on one of Cheshire’s busiest routes. Surface water continues to be collected effectively, and the system has kept its structural integrity under constant high traffic loading.
The recycled polymer construction has proved durable, supporting the council’s aim to use more sustainable solutions in highway construction while reducing ongoing maintenance requirements.
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