By Lynda Myer
Achieving a significant milestone by Tideway chiefs, they have driven a 30m tunnel beneath Vauxhall Bridge in central London.
The completion process of the 2.5m diameter culvert below the River Thames, was done by engineers working on the Albert Embankment site of the super sewer with the value of £4.1bn.
The final usage of this tunnel will be transferring sewage from the Clapham sewer outfall into an interception chamber and then to the main Tideway tunnel.
Although the teams have experiences of working within three cofferdams at Albert Embankment foreshore that is one of many project sites across the capital, responsible for the central section of the super sewer is up to a joint venture of Laing O’Rourke and Ferrovial Agroman.
According to site project manager Lee Fisher’s comment on sewage transfer tunnel breakthrough: “This was a challenging pipe jacking operation, taking place at a shallow depth under a busy part of London.”
He also asserted: “The huge amount of preparation by the team included stabilizing the ground and providing protection from the Thames’ tides, which allowed us to make good progress.”
“Throughout this piece of work, we have utilized the river to deliver supplies and remove spoil, reducing the number of lorries on London’s roads,” added Fisher.
July 2021 was the commencing date of works to hydraulically push 14 concrete pipes reinforced with stainless steel into the ground from Cofferdam 3 of the Albert Embankment site. In preparation for pipe jacking, the team built a sheet pile and reinforced concrete twin-wall channel into the foreshore.
Construction of the ultimate 5.5.km extension of super sewer tunnel with 25km length, is the duty of Selina TBM, that was passed under Brunel’s Thames Tunnel near Wapping this summer.
