Thames super sewer hits halfway mark

The main tunnel at Battersea

Tunnelling on the Thames Tideway super sewer, which is being built to limit sewage pollution in the River Thames, has reached the halfway mark.

Tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have now tunnelled 12.5km of the 25km total length of the structure, with the tunnel currently stretching from Fulham in the west to Blackfriars in the City of London.

The tunnel has already passed under 13 bridges including Albert Bridge, Westminster Bridge and Waterloo Bridge.

As well as the main tunnel, a 1km connection tunnel is also currently under construction in Wandsworth.

The shaft at Chambers Wharf in Bermondsey

So far, the tunnels have been constructed using four TBMs. Two more tunnelling machines are due to start working in east London this year, creating the eastern section of the main tunnel from Bermondsey to Newham, as well as a slightly smaller 4km connection tunnel in Greenwich.

Construction of the tunnels has seen three million tonnes of material transported by river, avoiding 340,000 HGV journeys. The project, which involves work on 24 sites across the capital, is due for completion by 2024.

Andy Mitchell, Tideway CEO, said: “I’m incredibly proud that this week, after more than three years of exceptional work by our teams across London, we’ve reached the halfway mark on the super sewer.

“There’s still a way to go but reaching this point on schedule is testament to the success of the team, who have achieved a huge number of engineering feats – including tunnelling under the river through a variety of ground conditions, building new pieces of land in the Thames to work in and digging giant shafts up to 50m deep below London.

“Once complete, not only will we have a cleaner river but there will be seven new areas of public space created along the Thames, transforming the embankment and creating new areas for Londoners and visitors to reconnect with the river.”