- Cadent’s flagship Tunnel Under the River Thames Project is a double nominee in the 2018 ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers) London Civil Engineering Awards
- Project nominated in Best Infrastructure and Greatest Contribution to London Categories
- The tunnel project is a cornerstone of Cadent’s £1billion programme to future-proof London’s gas infrastructure for the 21st century
Cadent’s flagship Tunnel Under the River Thames project has been nominated for two major awards in the prestigious ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers) London Civil Engineering Awards 2018.
The £18m project – which is a cornerstone of Cadent’s £1billion programme of essential gas mains replacement work in the capital – involves three iconic London locations – the Royal Hospital Chelsea, Battersea Park and the River Thames.
Work on the 330m tunnel was completed in December 2017 and work is well underway to complete installation of the pipeline which will transport gas under the River Thames.
The project has involved Herculean efforts on the part of Cadent and its strategic partner tRIIO, which also includes contractors Skanska, Barhale and designers Mott Macdonald.
The project team has held discussions with 15 different organisations to secure the 20 different permissions required for work to proceed. There has also been the challenge of working around major projects such as Thames Tideway.
The project’s two 30m deep tunnel shafts were located in Battersea Park and the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea along with project offices and other facilities. This presented further challenges as the team had to be out of the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea and remove all trace of their work in time for the summer season, so events such as as the Chelsea Flower Show and arts fair Masterpiece were not affected by the project.
This was successfully done as required for both the 2017 and 2018 summer seasons, with the tunnel shaft being covered by a massive concrete slab which was then landscaped.
Care was taken to minimise the impact on the environment with low emission engines being used and solar panels utilised to provide power for lighting.
Work has been delivered with zero injuries and to the satisfaction of all the stakeholders involved, including the world famous Chelsea Pensioners, who were given the task of naming the project’s TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine).
The project is scheduled to be fully complete and operational in 2019.
Cadent Project Manager Andrew Hejdner said: “It’s an absolute honour for the project to be nominated for not just one but two categories in this year's ICE London Awards.
“We’ve got a terrific team on the job and this double nomination is a real testament to their efforts.”
The 2018 Awards Ceremony will take place at a black tie dinner held at ICE Headquarters, One Great George Street, London on Thursday 24 May 2018.
To watch a video about the project visit:
https://vimeo.com/266257839/15be16a372