Utility Week

24 | 16TH - 22ND NOVEMBER 2018 | UTILITY WEEK Operations & Assets philosophy at Tideway, which says it does things "safely, or not at all". As part of their project induction, every member of the work- force – from tunnel operatives to delivery drivers and office staff – goes through an immersive, multimedia health and safety training day called Epic (employer's project induction centre). Around 14,000 people so far have gone through the programme. During construction of the Thames Tide- way Tunnel, Tideway plans to transport as much material by river as it can. Where this isn't possible, it has committed to using the safest vehicles possible. It has 22 "low entry cab" vehicles in use across the project, which increase the amount of direct driver vision to provide a much better chance of driv- ers seeing vulnerable road-users, especially cyclists. It also recently launched another Epic day specifically for HGV drivers working on the Thames Tideway Tunnel project. Tideway also says it is committed to ensuring it is a sustainable, environmentally friendly project during construction. Through its "sustainable transport – more by river" strategy, it aims to transport 90 per cent of materials by river. It will take an extra 200,000 HGV movements off London's roads than originally planned, to further limit pol- lution, congestion and to protect cyclists and pedestrians. The company says its teams are "con- stantly looking at ways to increase sus- tainability during construction". Recently, operatives working at its Albert Embank- ment site started to collect plastic items that were gathering around the site on the fore- shore. This plastic is processed and sent to a factory in Scotland that turns it into "plas- wood" – a recycled material that can be used to make products, including items such as the plastic boat that transported the Utility Week team down the river. Sites and progress King Edward Memorial Park Foreshore • Intercepts the North East Storm Relief combined sewer overflow (CSO) • Online sha straight into the tunnel is 60m deep • Work involves building a cofferdam into the foreshore at 4,300 sqm • New area of public realm will extend approximately 33m into river Chambers Wharf • One of three main shas for the tunnel • Once complete, the sha will be 30m wide and around 70m deep • Noise enclosure currently under construction to minimise noise • Diaphragm walling for the main sha was carried out using an electric hydrofraise to minimise noise and environmental impact • Tunnel boring machine will arrive on site by river next year, with tunnelling due to start later next year Blackfriars Bridge Foreshore • Point where Fleet sewer discharges into the River Thames • Sha here will be 24m and connect to the tunnel at a depth of 53m • Additional public realm will cover approximately 28,000 sqm • New foreshore dimensions will be 280m long by 30m wide Victoria Embankment Foreshore • New foreshore structure will extend 22.5m into river • Work here will intercept sewage overflows from Regent Street and Northumberland Street CSOs • It will also provide high-level overflow from the Bazalgette interceptor sewer in the Victoria Embankment to control for three other CSOs: Savoy Street, Norfolk Street and Essex Street Albert Embankment Foreshore • Intercepts Clapham (upstream) and Brixton (downstream) CSOs • Sha is 16m in diameter and 48m deep Kirtling Street • Main drive site for the central section of the tunnel – sha is complete, around 30m diameter and 55m deep • The two tunnel boring machines that will dig the central section of the main tunnel are in the ground at Battersea – tunnelling will start later this year Chelsea Embankment Foreshore • Chelsea Embankment is the third Bazalgette Embankment, aer Victoria and Albert • Intercepts the Ranelagh CSO • Sha will be 12m diameter and 45m deep Falconbrook Pumping Station • Intercepts Falconbrook Pumping Station CSO • The site is 500m back from the river • Sha 9m diameter, 40m deep Carnwath Road • Main drive site for the west sec- tion of tunnel. The sha here is 25m diameter, around 50m deep • From here, Rachel, the main tun- nel boring machine for the west section, will tunnel 6km west to Acton from early next year • Sha will also receive the smaller tunnel boring machine, Charlotte, which is digging the 1.1km Frogmore Connection Tunnel from Wandsworth • Tideway currently constructing a conveyor structure on site behind the river walls, to transfer spoil from tunnel on to barges • Work here includes strength- ening the tunnel walls to allow tunnel construction to commence next year continued from previous page

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