
Hawick Pump Track
Goodbye tennis courts, hello one of the largest pump track playgrounds in the UK, and it's floodlit!
The Numbers.
Site Area
2780msq
Track Length
304m + 125m
Build Time
12 weeks
Cost
££££
We were appointed by Hawick Community Pump Track group to design and build a pump track to replace 6 disused clay tennis courts. The design brief was to provide two tracks, one for beginners and one for advanced riders with long straights and jump sections to challenge the best.
The two tracks have a shared rest area with a volcano feature in between. The 128m beginner track included multiple berms at 1m height with gentle rollers. The main track features long exterior straights including some large (1.5m) features and a continuous internal area with multi-level berms.
CBR testing and infiltration tests informed the construction method of the track and drainage scheme. The track was sunk into the ground and constructed from subsoil, before being capped with type 1 and Velosolutions custom recipe asphalt. Drainage was managed with soakaways and attenuation cells and gully drainage in the large rest area.
Lighting was supplied under a separate contract, but we worked closely with the lighting technicians for the lighting design, which enabled us to be assured of passing RoSPA compliance. As part of the build process we completed all trenching, ducting, shuttering, and concrete pour for the lighting column bases.
Materials were imported on a 200m aluminum trackway, which covered tree root protection areas.
Safety lines were painted in different colours for the 2 separate tracks to allow riders to easily distinguish between them.
“Since opening in the summer the pump track has been a magnet for local youngsters who are experiencing a state of the art facility uniquely situated in spectacular surroundings. The Pump track is becoming a must visit destination and in that regard I am confident that it will become a significant economic contributor to Hawick and the Scottish Borders”
Watson MacAteer
Provost of Hawick
Outcomes.
Combined rest areas work well between two tracks and a generous allocation of space is important to accommodate large numbers of riders.
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Aluminium trackway is a safe, clean and efficient solution for material deliveries when there's grassland to protect
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Allocating additional budget for turf landscaping around track edge is a worthwhile consideration for future projects.
Project Gallery.
Click image to enlarge



