Thames Tideway Tunnel

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Thames tideway tunnel project arises from a need to modernize the London sewage system and thus prevent the discharge of untreated wastewater into the River Thames and stop its overflow.

The City of London sewerage network, built in Victorian times, was designed so that the sewage, instead of overflowing into the streets or houses, would flow into the Thames during heavy storms.

Today, mainly due to population growth, the current tunnels do not have sufficient capacity, which means that the river overflows once a week on average, polluting the water of the Thames.

The "Thames Tideway Tunnel" project consists of the construction of a new tunnel 25 kilometers long and 7 kilometers in diameter. This new tunnel stars in west London, from where it continues along the River Thames to Limehouse and from there to the northwest where it will end at the Abbey Mils pumping station. Once there, the tunnel will connect with the Lee Tunnel diverting wastewater to the Beckton treatment plant, thus helping to prevent periodic pollution of the river.

SCOPE OF PACADAR

PACADAR has participated in the construction of the central and the longest section of the tunnel, which extends over 12.7 kilometers and measures 7 meters in diameter. Two 8.8 m diameter Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) tunnel boring machines, capable of accessing a depth of more than 60 meters under the river, have been used for the construction.