By ashleykaren
Tideway’s tunnel boring machines completed excavating the primary tunnel in the spring of 2022, and now, with the eastern section of the tunnel between Stratford and Bermondsey finished last week, the secondary lining is complete on all 25km of the project.
This achievement gets the Tideway project one step closer to delivery as it looks ahead to activating the tunnel next year – shifting sewage away from the Thames and into the tunnel for the first time.
Tideway’s project manager for the tunneling works in the eastern section of the project, Gareth Howells, expressed that completing the secondary lining was not only a significant construction milestone but also a vital moment for creating a cleaner, healthier River Thames.
He stated: “Our work underground is largely complete, and this month we’ve also seen the full above-ground work finished and reopened at two sites in west London.”
“We’re now focused on harnessing this momentum and delivering a cleaner river from next year when, for the first time, this key piece of infrastructure will begin diverting sewage away from the Thames,” Howells added.
The primary lining for the 7.2m internal diameter super sewer was made by employing four tunnel boring machines, while two smaller TBMs constructed the network’s two massive connection tunnels in Greenwich and Wandsworth.
Project Director for the eastern section of the project, Richard Holbrook, pointed out: “Our teams in the eastern section have done a fantastic job constructing this key piece of London’s new infrastructure.”
He continued: “Although there remains a lot of important work to be done, we’re looking ahead to finishing the job and creating a healthier environment in London for many generations to come.”
The completion of secondary lining in the main tunnel follows the reopening of two Tideway sites in west London – Putney and Barn Elms.
A JV between Vinci Construction Grands Projets, Costain, and Bachy Soletanche is providing the eastern section of the super sewer project.
A joint venture of BAM Nuttall, Morgan Sindall, and Balfour Beatty Group, and the central section by Ferrovial Agroman UK and Laing O’Rourke is constructing the western part of the project.
The Tideway tunnel runs mainly under the river at depths of 30-70m and is developed to transfer sewage eastwards under gravity, intercepting the approximately 39 million tons of raw sewage overflows calculated to enter the Thames every year.
