Skip to main content

Pumping aids tunnel improvement work

In the UK, the busy Dartford Tunnel has benefited from the use of powerful pumping technology during improvements intended to boost traffic flow. Pump hire specialist, Sykes Pumps, helped by providing a pumping system, so as to enable piling for the conversion programme to a fully-electronic payment infrastructure.
July 28, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
RSSIn the UK, the busy Dartford Tunnel has benefited from the use of powerful pumping technology during improvements intended to boost traffic flow. Pump hire specialist, 8165 Sykes Pumps, helped by providing a pumping system, so as to enable piling for the conversion programme to a fully-electronic payment infrastructure.

Providing a route across the River Thames linking Dartford in Kent with Thurrock in Essex, the Dartford Crossing forms part of the M25 Motorway and comprises two tunnels and a bridge. High traffic volumes have led to increased congestion at the toll booths over the past few years, leading to the 2309 Highways Agency’s decision to introduce a fully-electronic payment system, which requires remote payment online, by phone, via a payzone retail outlet, or by post.

The upgrade to the payment system necessitated significant changes to the infrastructure at the entrance to each of the tunnels and contractor, Jackson Civil Engineering, needed to carry out piling works to install new traffic management barriers. As the site is so close to the river, Jackson anticipated rising water when each pile was removed and brought in Sykes pumps to specify a pumping system that would remove any excess water prior to the concrete pour.

Sykes Pumps provided two GP 100M diesel pumps along with hoses and a settlement tank to create a flexible water attenuation system. The specified system disposed of low levels of nuisance water at the piles, using a duty pump.  Where piling work saw larger volumes of water, the standby pump was deployed and the water was transported 400m via hoses to the settlement tank, where sediment was removed before the water was released into the sewer system.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Building Egypt's world class Desert Highway
    May 3, 2012
    A huge highway upgrade project will transform the Cairo-Alexandria road link into a world-class connection as Mike Woof reports. The work to upgrade the Desert Highway connecting Egypt's sprawling capital Cairo with its major port Alexandria, is one of the country's largest infrastructure projects for many years. This 220km highway link is being widened and improved to cope with the hugely increased traffic volumes resulting partly from Egypt's fast growing vehicle population. The Egyptian economy is strong
  • Building Egypt's world class Desert Highway
    April 13, 2012
    A huge highway upgrade project will transform the Cairo-Alexandria road link into a world-class connection as Mike Woof reports. The work to upgrade the Desert Highway connecting Egypt's sprawling capital Cairo with its major port Alexandria, is one of the country's largest infrastructure projects for many years. This 220km highway link is being widened and improved to cope with the hugely increased traffic volumes resulting partly from Egypt's fast growing vehicle population. The Egyptian economy is strong
  • ENH bitumen in-line plants destined for the Congo
    May 19, 2015
    ENH Engineering has broken into the market in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by selling two in-line bitumen emulsion plants. The plants, of which each can be built into a 12m container, were sold to the Congolese oil exploration and refining company Socir in the capital city of Kinshasha, said ENH's managing director Erik Haugaard. The in-line plants can produce all known bitumen emulsion types, from the simplest tack-coat to high-grade slurry emulsions. "The emulsion market in West Africa is gr
  • Crack infill system ideal reinstatement solution
    February 17, 2012
    Overnight repair work on a major English motorway has avoided the major traffic disruption and significantly increased road surfacing costs that would have occurred if left untreated.