LPT machine relocating
31 May 2013The 9km Eade Road to St. John’s Wood London Power Tunnels (LPT) drive was completed on 1 May. The 4.7m Herrenknecht EPBM emerged into the St. John’s Wood shaft before a complex operation was due to see it manoeuvered to its next LPT bore on the project in Haringey. The operation was ongoing as Tunnels went to press, and due to complete on 11 June.
Roger Gibbs, general manager (commercial and projects) for specialist logistics solution provider Abnormal Load Services (ALS), part of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, said: "It is an incredibly challenging procedure to move the [up to 110t] TBM components. The weight and size of the load to be moved along roads that just weren't designed for the job makes things difficult. As a major city, London presents several obstacles to overcome. The north in particular is what I consider a 'cat's cradle' of railway lines.
"The ALS team will face bridge weight restrictions from Tube and suburban rail lines hidden beneath the road, height restrictions from overhead bridges and street furniture - including traffic lights, bollards, and even curbs - that will need to be removed. An enormous effort is put into route planning and liaising with the various statutory bodies.
Gibbs added, "The Edmonton to Haringey route has several pinch points of road junctions and overhead bridges, and we will probably need to go through part of the Tottenham one-way system in a reverse (anti-clockwise) direction."
