Bachy Soletanche conducts cliff top piling project in East Sussex
Bachy Soletanche Limited has recently completed a contiguous piled wall installation project for the Portobello Pumping Station in East Sussex. The project is part of Southern Water’s environmental improvement scheme to bring cleaner seas to the area.
The project is being carried out by 4Delivery, which is also currently completing a programme of environmental improvement and water quality schemes for Southern Water across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, in addition to the Cleaner Seas for Sussex scheme.
There are 11 shafts to be constructed in total from Brighton Marina to Friars Bay. Bachy Soletanche has been working at the Portobello Pumping station shaft, which when complete will be 18m in diameter and 34m in depth. This shaft will ultimately receive wastewater flows from the west along the tunnel being constructed from Brighton Marina.
Working next to the cliff top coastal road, the temporary contiguous piled wall will act as the support mechanism to the adjacent road while the site is excavated and until the pre-cast shaft is constructed.
The wall design required 69, 900mm diameter CFA piles (Continuous Flight Auger) with depths ranging between 8m and 16m. Cages were installed into all piles with lengths ranging between 7.7m and 15.7m.
Bachy Soletanche completed its section of the project at the end of November ready for the excavation works to begin. Engineer for Bachy Soletanche, Tom Lee commented:
“Despite problems with the weather, including the recent gales which hit the south east coast, the project ran smoothly and completed on time in fact our daily output of pile construction was above target.”