The Russell’s 235ac farm just outside of Thurles is split by a national road – 95ac around the parlour and the remaining 140ac across the road. The daily routine for the Russells involved walking cows across the road four times a day, which could add up to 45 minutes, according to David.

“We would have to gather all of the cows into a group before we could bring them across the road, and this added time, especially after milking.”

Walking cows across the road this many times a day also led to long delays for traffic in the area. For this reason, the National Roads Authority (NRA) was also keen to get the project completed. A pilot project was developed where the NRA would be involved in part-funding the project.

“The NRA were anxious for us to get the underpass put in, and if it wasn’t for this, it might have been put off for another while,” according to Lottie.

The Russells are currently milking more than 150 cows, with expansion of the herd ongoing.

The underpass was seen as a key piece of the expansion jigsaw on the farm. As it was to go under a national road, the job had to be completed to a much higher specification than if it was to go under a regional road.

“We could probably have got it for €20,000 or €30,000 less if it wasn’t going under a national road,” David said.

A lot of planning is involved to get such a project organised according to Shay Power of Shay Power Ltd who was given the contract for the project.

“We first went to Tipperary County Council with a planning application, but because it is a national road we had to get a technical acceptance report carried out first,” Shay said. “Once you go looking for a technical report, the NRA becomes involved too.”

What started in 2015 with a planning application finished in the past few weeks. After seven days’ work the Russell’s have a transformed grazing infrastructure.

Breaking ground

The decision was taken to install a 4.5m wide underpass. While this would be larger than recommended for the current size of the herd, having it this size ensures that it does not become a bottleneck in the future, according to David. “Originally it was going to be 3.5m wide but we looked at a few other ones and decided that the wider option was better.”

The total length of the underpass is 19m while the internal height is 2.1m. The road was only 7m wide, however the large verges either side totalled 12m. The width of these verges added cost to the project as it meant the underpass was much longer. A total of 13 precast culverts, each weighing over 17t, were used. The first job carried out was to dig test holes to see if the site would be suitable for the project and to establish the level of stone present. The site was deemed suitable and the project progressed.

Before the culverts were placed, the site was dug out and 450mm of 6N granular fill material was put in as a foundation for the culverts.

The culverts, which were supplied by Corbett Concrete, were all installed on the one day. They were lifted into place with a crane and sealed individually with resin put around the joints followed by a sealer. The culverts all had to undergo extensive waterproofing to ensure they complied with NRA standards. This involved applying a epoxy resin waterproofing to all buried surfaces. After this was done, the culverts had to be backfilled.

A permeable drainage layer was required on either side of the culverts. This, and the adjoining 6N granular fill material was required to be brought up at the same time, with compaction taking place after every layer of material is applied. Once the backfill material is up to 500mm away from the top of the culverts, the top of the culverts must be sprayed with bridge deck waterproofing and allowed to dry. After this, the remaining backfilling took place.

The interior floor of the culverts was also sprayed with bridge deck waterproof. A screed of concrete was then placed on top with a rough finish to provide grip for cows.

Precast wing walls were also added to either end of the underpass to contain the backfilling material. A 1,500 gallon collection tank was installed at one end of the underpass. An overflow pipe allows it to be drained off through the land. NRA specifications state that only where there is no viable alternative available should a sump and pump be used. The details of the management of storm water, collection of effluents and prevention of groundwater pollution shall be provided in the technical acceptance report. There is a 2in fall from one end of the underpass to the other.

The tarring of the road and the erection of the crash barriers was carried out by a combination of the NRA and the council. A minimum of 600mm of material was required between the top of the culverts and the surface of the road.

The project will cost the Russells approximately €120,000 (excluding VAT) once completed. Materials for the project alone cost approximately €80,000. The technical report, planning and having a project supervisor for the design stage (PSTP) will amount close to €14,000. Between the council and the NRA they will also cover approximately €25,000 of the project. They will cover the crash barriers (approximately €13,000), the traffic management during the project (approximately €7,000 to €8,000) and the cost of tarring the road (approximately €5,000).

In some instances the council will be unable to close the road for a project as it may be too busy or there may not be suitable detours available. This may require the underpass being completed in two sections. One half of the road would remain open at all times, however this can add considerable cost to a project according to Shay.

“The local authority and the NRA were very helpful but there should really be a grant for farmers to do it. Going out on the road to stop cars if it’s foggy or a wet evening is not safe. You can see it from the NRA and the council’s point of view – get the cows off the road and it’s safer for everyone,” Shay insisted.