Regent’s Canal
Leading geotechnical specialist Bachy Soletanche Limited (BSL) has managed to shave down both the length of time required for the work and the depth of the piles involved during an efficient piling project on the banks of London’s Regent’s Canal.
The project was initially due to take five weeks, but through a combination of organisation, site efficiency and a little bit of muscle Bachy Soletanche was able to demobilise after the third week of piling. Project Manager at Bachy Soletanche John Davies explained:
“The initial programme was five weeks as the ground conditions were somewhat of an unknown quantity. We knew that around four and half metres down there was an existing wall remaining from a previous bridge foundation, but we weren’t definite about how much trouble it would cause.”
“By first coring through the wall using a rock auger, we were actually able to conduct the work at a good pace, constructing two piles per day rather than the one pile per day we had anticipated.” He added.
However, time wasn’t the only thing cut short by BSL’s innovation at Regent’s Canal. The Bachy Soletanche team actually redesigned the piles before undertaking the project, making them shorter by up to four metres. Pile strength was left unhindered as BSL also increased the diameter of the piles, but it was the reduction in depth that helped the project to continue moving at such an impressive pace. John Davies commented:
“The original piles were up to 600mm in diameter, and 27m deep. By redesigning the piles to be a maximum of 23m deep, we reduced the timescale of the project further, and by increasing the diameter to 750mm in some areas, there was no impact on the load capacity of the piles.”
In total, Bachy Soletanche constructed twenty piles in a project worth £220,000, with work completed in June. The foundation work was conducted for main contractor Taylor Woodrow Construction, who later sent a formal letter to Bachy Soletanche management complimenting their team on an extraordinary performance. The piles will provide the required support for a new bridge over the canal that will form part of the East London line extension due for completion in 2009.