WJ Group and BEAR Scotland have extended their longstanding relationship by confirming a strategic partnership on the Scottish Trunk Road Network Management Contract for the South East Unit.
The partnership covers the delivery of all road marking services, including permanent and temporary markings, high friction surfacing and demarcation solutions.
This means that WJ and BEAR Scotland are now working together on over 1500 miles of Scotland’s trunk road network, ensuring exceptional road marking standards that meet or exceed the requirements of CS126, ‘Inspection and assessment of road markings and road studs’.
Transport Scotland appointed BEAR Scotland as the Operating Company for this new contract, which began in August and will last until at least 2028, with the possibility of a further extension. This extends BEAR Scotland’s reach as it currently has responsibility for trunk roads in the North East and North West of Scotland.
The South East Region covers approximately 314 miles of some of the busiest sections of road in Scotland, from the central belt through to the Scottish Borders. This Unit includes the historic Forth Road Bridge and the recently completed Queensferry Crossing, which were originally delivered as an individual contract.
The capabilities of WJ have already been proven over many years in the South East region supporting the delivery of schemes involving road markings, road studs and coloured surfacing, including on the Forth Road Bridge.
Additionally, WJ have been working with BEAR Scotland on the North West and North East Units since 2013 and 2014 respectively, which has resulted in the development of a collaborative relationship with efficient and effective operational delivery of high-performance road marking services.
BEAR Scotland Commercial Director Mark Godsell Commented “WJ have been a great asset on both our North West and North East contracts with their exceptional delivery capabilities and keen focus on innovation. They have helped us implement new ideas and products on to the Scottish network. We look forward to continuing this success in the South East as we work together to raise standards and a provide a safer road network for all road users across Scotland.”
WJ has the resources and experience to competently service major projects with a proven record of delivering innovative products and services. Examples of this can be seen within the Northern Scottish units where WJ have recently delivered over 217,000 metres of ‘Weatherline Plus’ high performance road markings and >1350 Solarlite road studs. Weatherline Plus is a raised profile marking and part of WJ’s award winning range of high-performance road markings. The innovative marking exhibits enhanced retroreflectivity in wet and dry conditions, superior skid resistance, great durability with an expected 5-year functional life when applied in good conditions and also has a verified low carbon footprint.
The SolarLite Road Studs installed in high-risk locations also provide increased visibility, achieving 900m forward visibility compared with 90m for standard road studs, increasing reaction time ten-fold. The combination of these high-performance road markings and road studs realise significant cost efficiencies whilst raising safety standards for road users in Scotland. WJ have already started to install these innovative products on the South East contract for BEAR helping to raise road safety standard across the majority of the Scottish Trunk Road Network.
WJ Scotland Operations Manager Brian Smith said: “It’s fantastic to be working with BEAR Scotland in the South East Unit. We’ve created a great relationship working with them in the North and we know they have a real focus on continual improvement to ensure an exceptional service which really prioritises the customer. This approach mirrors our own and it has helped us establish synergies over many years and we know we can support their objectives on the south east network.”
