The A169 in North Yorkshire was - even in 1987 - very old, and had been continually widened over the years to accommodate an increasing volumes of vehicles along the route. Heavy traffic was bouncing on the carriageway, the sub-grade was very wet, the pavement was pumping, and longitudinal cracks had formed on the road surface.

As a consequence of the road’s location being in a moorland area of great natural beauty, the then Area Surveyor for North Yorkshire County Council was looking for an effective drainage solution for the road that would avoid scarring the landscape by installing trench drains on either side of the carriageway. An additional factor was the considerable distance excavated spoil would need to be hauled for disposal.

With its narrow profile, rugged durability, laboratory-proven clog-resistance, and rapid water inflow rate, 900mm Hydraway represented the perfect solution for this project. Not only could Hydraway provide the high-volume, long-lasting drainage performance required to remedy the road’s significant structural issues, but could also be installed directly through a boot into a narrow trench as it is cut - minimising both disruption to the area, and the total volume of excavated spoil.

Over 2km of Hydraway was installed along the road in the winter of 1987, which was left to dry the area until the spring of 1988 when the roadway was covered with a medium textured material to a depth of 25-30mm. The pavement subsequently settled and stopped pumping, and the road surface was dressed.

When the drainage was inspected in June 1991, there was no sign of standing water despite it having rained all day the previous day. Three test holes were dug - two on the west side of the carriageway and one on the east - where the drains were exposed to approximately half of their depth, and an incision was made in the geotextile to facilitate an inspection of its core using a borescope. Both the internal and external inspections revealed that the Hydraway was free from damage or clogging, and was continuing to keep a very wet and exposed site free from standing water issues. Additionally, it was noted that the water table had lowered: in 1987 the water table had been just below the surface, but it was now well beneath the surface near the bottom of the Hydraway.