It’s started !

I asked the Design Engineer (Jamie Prangle) for some background information and he’s been really helpful ! Here’s some of his comments :

“Excavation works will begin tomorrow, starting with two days of trial holes along the replacement route. After this, we will move down to the verge adjacent to Cloatley Road to begin excavations in preparation for the initial connection onto the existing water main.”

“Regarding the duration question, I completely understand why people are asking as it does sound like a long time to complete 1.2km of replacement. Due to the number of existing utilities already within the verges and highway—and the fact that we cannot downsize the existing water main—we’ve been left with very limited options. As a result, we’ve had to use a more traditional open‑cut trenching method instead of the trenchless technologies we normally try to utilise to reduce cost and programme duration.

We are using directional drilling to install the new main under the river, but unfortunately that is the only section of the scheme where this technique is suitable.

In terms of the overall scheme duration, it’s not just the pipe‑laying that takes time. The strict testing and chlorination procedures, reinstatement works, service transfers, and planned shutdowns all contribute significantly to the length of the programme.“