Pipejacking commences at Albert Embankment

A pipejacking operation has begun at Albert Embankment site for London’s ‘super sewer’ to connect two cofferdams beneath Vauxhall Bridge.

The two structures, two of three enclosed areas built out into the River Thames, will be linked via a 33-metre-long culvert.

The culvert will be formed with 14 concrete pipes reinforced with stainless steel, pushed hydraulically into the ground from the launch chamber at the base of Cofferdam 3.

Supplies for the operation will be transported by barge, removing the need for lorry journeys on London’s streets, while the shield will be removed in the same manner once pipejacking is finished.  

The 2.5 metre-diameter culvert will direct flows from the Clapham sewer outfall, located upstream of Vauxhall Bridge, into the interception chamber and ultimately to the main tunnel.

In preparation for pipejacking, the team constructed a sheet pile and reinforced concrete twinwall channel into the foreshore, to secure the ground and provide protection from the Thames’ tides. On completion of the pipejacking, Albert Embankment’s infrastructure, from Cofferdam 3 to Cofferdam 1, will be fully connected.