By Rose Bell
Following five weeks to complete the drive for Northumbrian Water, Farrans Construction has broken through on a 220m tunnel beneath the River Tees.
Being launched at the base of the 46m-deep east shaft in April, TBM Penelope reached the 32m-deep west shaft last week.
Including County Durham and Tees Valley which involves the construction of almost 57km of new pipes connecting Lartington Water Treatment Works, this tunnel is part of Northumbrian Water’s £155m Project Pipeline.
In order to that the Farrans Construction and subcontractor Joseph Gallagher can start on the next phase, the TBM is going to be lifted out of the shaft.
This will include sealing work before twin water mains are installed horizontally through the tunnel. Putting two mains through the tunnel adds resilience to the investment, ensuring a back-up is available in case of any problems.
Linking Lartington, in Upper Teesdale, with Whorley Hill and Shildon, County Durham, phase 1 of the project will be followed by a second phase extending the pipeline from Whorley Hill to Long Newton, connecting to the existing network that serves large parts of Teesside.
