By rosebell
While in April 2022 Pacadar UK commenced the production process of the concrete segments for HS2’s 8km Northolt Tunnel, in June they completed the manufacture of 59,129 segments, which make up 8,447 tunnel rings, involving seven segments per ring.
The quantity of produced precast segments per day at the Kent-based factory was 130 and each segment weighs 7 tonnes.
Stretching from West Ruislip to Green Park Way in Greenford, the Northolt Tunnel West’s construction is up to HS2’s London Tunnels contractor, Skanska Costain Strabag (SCS) joint venture. So far, the two TBMs building the twin-bore tunnel have travelled around 6.4km and installed 6,550 rings.
Considering that HS2 has a commitment to decrease the environmental impacts of construction, following the initial commission of the TBMs rail sidings were brought into use once space on site became available. The segments are now transported by rail from Kent to West Ruislip, with each train removing 56 lorries from the roads.
According to Pacadar UK project manager Antonio Diez Barral: “The company was immensely proud of the production milestone.Working jointly with Skanska Costain Strabag JV, Pacadar has used a state-of-the-art construction method in order to optimise the use of materials, reduction of time and therefore remarkable savings and carbon footprint drop, all while creating a safe environment for all the 180 [Pacadar] workers.”
The pre-casting segments for the Thame Valley Viaduct in Buckinghamshire as well as Edgcote Viaduct in Northamptonshire, are the other aspects of HS2 that Pacadar UK continues to work on.
