Highways and utilities projects operate under unique time pressures — Traffic Management Windows (TMWs), permit conditions, lane rental charges and live carriageway exposure all create an imperative to work fast and efficiently. MWE products reduce the labour intensity and time cost of dewatering, fencing and barrier logistics on highways and utilities sites.
Highway works compounds, pedestrian walkways and works perimeters all need Heras fencing — installed fast, then reconfigured repeatedly as the works front progresses. Manual panel handling beside live traffic is slow, labour-heavy and exposes operatives at the most dangerous point of the site. The FenceBag installs 54 panels per lift with one telehandler operator.
Utility trenches on road and footway projects fill with groundwater, stormwater and surface water continuously. Traditional pump setup — hoses, connections, a second operative to manage the system — takes time that live highway working cannot always afford. The WetBag reduces trench dewatering to a single operator operation with no hose management.
Traffic management arrays on dual carriageway and motorway works require large numbers of pedestrian and vehicle barriers to be deployed and recovered within TMWs. With traditional manual methods, this consumes a significant proportion of the available window. The BarrierBag doubles deployment rate with a single telehandler operator.
Highways and utilities work is governed by time more acutely than almost any other construction sector. Lane rental charges run into thousands of pounds per day. Traffic Management Windows close whether the work is finished or not. Every aspect of on-carriageway logistics needs to be as fast and lean as possible — and that includes the tasks that currently take the most people and the most time: fuelling, dewatering, and barrier management.
FenceBag
Heras Fencing Handler — Works Perimeter & Walkways
54 UK-standard Heras panels per lift, operated by the site telehandler. Installs and relocates works perimeter fencing and pedestrian segregation as the works front progresses — 200 panels in 4–6 hours instead of 2–3 days. Fewer operatives working beside live traffic.
View FenceBag →WetBag
Trench Dewatering — Utilities & Road Projects
No mains power. No long hose runs. The WetBag dewatering unit is positioned by the site excavator directly adjacent to the flooded trench, reducing setup to minutes. One operator. 80% faster pumping of trenches and bases compared to traditional methods.
View WetBag →BarrierBag
TMA Barrier Handling — Faster Deployment & Recovery
144 crowd control barriers handled by one telehandler operator at 60–80 per hour — more than double the traditional rate. Faster deployment and recovery reduces the proportion of the TMW spent on barrier logistics, leaving more window for productive work.
View BarrierBag →DustBag
Dust Suppression — Road Surface Works & Demolition
Carriageway surface works, structure demolition and earthworks on highway projects generate dust with CDM and COSHH obligations. The DustBag's standalone 2,000L tank and 30-metre cannon provides dust suppression without mains water infrastructure.
View DustBag →The FenceBag installs around 200 Heras panels in 4–6 hours with a single telehandler operator — compared to 2–3 days for a manual gang. Panels are lifted 54 at a time and relocated as the works front progresses, so perimeter and pedestrian segregation fencing keeps pace with the programme. Fewer operatives spend time working at the roadside beside live traffic, which is where struck-by risk is highest.
Traditional barrier deployment achieves ~30 barriers per hour with 3 operatives. The BarrierBag achieves 60–80 per hour with 1 operator. For a typical 144-barrier deployment, this reduces the operation from nearly 5 person-hours to just over 2 machine-hours — directly cutting the proportion of the TMW consumed by barrier logistics.
Yes. The WetBag's 3-inch dirty water pump handles water with suspended solids from utility trenches in all ground conditions. No mains power required. Positioned by the site excavator directly adjacent to the trench. One operator manages the full operation.
The WetBag supports correct waste water disposal (Environment Agency permit conditions). The DustBag supports CDM Regulations 2015 dust control requirements. All MWE equipment is manufactured by ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001 certified UK partners.
Talk to our team about plant fuelling, trench dewatering and barrier logistics. We respond within one working day.