Tideway recognised for floated culvert operation

18 October 2021


Tideway, London’s partially complete ‘super sewer’, has notched-up another success, having won the accolade of Temporary Works Initiative of the Year at the British Construction Industry Awards 2021.

The ‘Blackfriars Bridge Foreshore Floated Culvert’ built on Tideway’s central section by the Ferrovial Laing O’Rourke JV involved the construction of a 3,700t concrete and steel culvert within a cofferdam. It is designed to intercept thousands of tonnes of untreated sewage from the River Fleet combined sewer overflow and redirect it into the new super sewer, thereby reducing the pollution flowing into the Thames.

In August 2020, after four years of planning and engineering design, the 9m-high, 100m-long structure was subsequently floated into position at the sewer outfall under Blackfriars Bridge where it will be connected to the existing sewer system. Exploiting the high tide of the River Thames, the floating and positioning operation was necessary due to the restricted space under the bridge.

Tideway’s management hailed the culvert as a feat of engineering that will be studied by engineers for years to come. Programme Director Andy Alder, said: “This was a challenging operation completed in the heart of London, and this award is testament to the great deal of planning and teamwork that went into successfully completing it.”

Laing O’Rourke Project Director, Viv Jones, said: “We’re thrilled to have been recognised by the industry for the team’s work at Blackfriars. The floated culvert was a unique solution to multiple engineering challenges in a confined and busy area on the Thames. This job was one of the signature milestones of the Tideway Central project – a veritable masterstroke of planning, ingenuity and execution and I’m very proud of our team that made it happen.”