The Importance of Proper Site Access in Construction Planning

The Importance of Proper Site Access in Construction Planning

Construction projects, regardless of size or scope, are often complex and demand careful planning and execution - especially those located in remote or challenging environments. Among the multitude of challenges is ensuring proper site access.

Proper site access involves creating safe and reliable temporary roadways and work pads that allow crews and equipment to safely gain access to job sites and significantly impacts the project's timeline, safety, and overall success.

Composite mats like DURA-BASE are an optimal choice for easy and reliable access to remote locations and offer many additional benefits including safer work zones, improved operational efficiency, and minimal impact to the environment.

Common Challenges with Improper Site Access

One of the primary challenges is the difficulty in accessing the worksite itself. Transporting crews, heavy equipment, and other necessary materials requires a level, stable road that oftentimes does not exist in remote areas without permanent roads, and where ground conditions are less than ideal.

Attempting to navigate sites through unstable ground conditions, including soft soil, sensitive areas and otherwise challenging terrain, without adequate ground protection increases risk to people, assets, timelines, and the environment and can lead to potential delays and increased costs.

Composite mats provide the superior strength and reliability needed to enable personnel and heavy equipment to safely gain access to remote job sites in challenging conditions.

Safety Concerns

Ensuring safety is a top priority for any construction project, and inadequate access to and from the site poses significant and unnecessary risks to personnel. Soft and unstable ground conditions can lead to accidents and injuries.

Engineered with an anti-slip tread pattern, DURA-BASE improves traction for load-bearing vehicles and heavy equipment and prevents slippage. Its overlapping lip design and secure connection system help interlock each mat, creating one continuous work surface that prevents dangerous drifting and separation caused by unstable ground conditions.

Composite mats enhance worksite safety on a project by providing a strong, stable, non-shifting work platform that reduces the risk of accidents and safely support heavy machinery over challenging ground conditions.

Impact on Efficiency and Timeline

Proper site access is crucial for maintaining project timelines. Delays are a fact of life at every stage of a project and often occur when unforeseen weather issues cause routes to become inaccessible.

Composite mats help reduce these delays by providing reliable work surfaces over challenging ground conditions, including soft soil and ensuring that equipment and materials can be transported efficiently and safely.

Preparing for unexpected obstacles through proper planning when it comes to site access can help minimize access delays and improve chances of staying on schedule, and ultimately reducing project costs.

Environmental Considerations

Environmental impact is a significant consideration in site access planning, and construction stakeholders are under pressure to reduce the negative impact a construction project has on the environment. Using composite matting for worksite access provides a wide range of environmental benefits.

Composite mats have a sealed construction and material composition and are non-porous, which means they do not absorb chemicals or other contaminants, and significantly reduce the environmental risk from cross-contamination of invasive species. They provide a stable surface for vehicles to drive on, which helps reduce soil disturbance, minimize the impact on local ecosystems, and avoid unnecessary restoration costs.

Additionally, DURA-BASE mats are made from non-toxic HDPE, which means they can be cleaned, reused, and 100% recycled, further reducing material waste and overall carbon footprint.

Conclusion

Proper site access plays a vital role in successful construction planning, particularly in remote or challenging environments and is essential at every stage of the project lifecycle.

From ensuring the safety of workers and efficient transportation of materials to maintaining project timelines and minimizing environmental impact, composite mats provide a safe, reliable, and sustainable temporary roadway and site access solution for any construction project.

WHY DURA-BASE?

DURA-BASE® Advanced Composite Mat System™ provides a heavy-duty work platform for temporary access roads and job site designs. The continuous work surface that is created increases productivity while reducing worksite safety incidents. Due to the patented design, sealed construction and material composition, DURA-BASE has proven invaluable in diverse applications across numerous industries, including environmentally sensitive areas and in extreme environments.

Planning a project that requires safe and reliable site access? Contact our experienced team today. We’ll work closely with you to make sure your access road is exactly what you need, when you need it.