Tideway had to part close Putney Bridge on Sunday to execute this


The pipe-jacking machine is raised over Putney Bridge

Following a key piece of work as part of London’s ‘super sewer’, an excavating machine was successfully removed from the construction site at Putney following a part closure of the bridge.

As part of the operation, the southbound lane of Putney Bridge was closed for 24 hours while a large crane was used from the south side of the bridge to remove the "pipe-jacking" machine.

A pipejack is defined as a system of directly installing pipes behind a shield machine using hydraulic jacking from a drive shaft, such that the pipes form a continuous string in the ground.

Tideway is the company delivering London’s new ‘Super Sewer’, the Thames Tideway Tunnel, which will prevent millions of tonnes of sewage from entering the River Thames.

At this site, a 43 metre tunnel that will connect a combined sewage overflow (CSO) point under Putney Bridge to the new sewer – which is currently under construction to stop sewage overflowing into the river - was recently excavated using the machine. This CSO currently spills around 68,000m3 of raw sewage into the River Thames each year.

The team successfully “lifted and shifted” the pipe-jacking machine from the foreshore onto a lorry, where it was then driven to begin life on another construction project.

The bridge closure was well managed by the site team with support from Transport for London, and Wandsworth, and Hammersmith and Fulham Councils.

Site staff were also on hand to help those passing by or stopping to find out about the project and what was taking place, while the activity also attracted small groups of onlookers watching the lift.

With the work having to take place around the tidal movements of the river Thames, Putney Project Manager David Miles said: “The amount of strategic planning that went into this lift must be considered when we reflect on its success. From engineering, to traffic and logistics, and key stakeholder interface, the team remained focused on a positive result for all.

“The community were also out in force to witness the event, where we fielded many questions on Tideway overall, as well as the scope we were delivering. “

With the lift complete, Putney Bridge was re-opened to all traffic.

For any residents interested in finding out more, the next Community Liaison Meeting for the Tideway Tunnel will be held at The Star & Garter from 7pm - 9pm on March 12th. When complete, the 25km Thames Tideway Tunnel will tackle the problem of sewage pollution in the River Thames, preventing the millions of tonnes of sewage that flow directly into the Thames every year.

February 4, 2020