Workers at the Blackfriars Bridge Foreshore site for the super sewer have removed a 40 metre section from the base of the existing river wall to make way for part of a giant culvert floating structure that will connect the Victorian sewer to the new tunnel. 

The river wall toe is a protruding piece of concrete where the river wall meets the river bed. The 40 metre-long stretch of the toe that needed to be removed was cut into 19 blocks each weighing approximately 19 tonnes. Each block was then lifted onto a barge using inflatable air bags and the tidal conditions, broken up into football size blocks before being removed from site by river.

Once complete, a giant 3,500-tonne culvert will be floated into position later this year and will connect into the Fleet combined sewer overflow (CSO). This will intercept the raw sewage that currently pollutes the river in this location, diverting it towards the new super sewer.

Harry Thambirajah, Construction Engineer at the Blackfriars site, said “The whole operation has been well executed and the excellent health and safety record is a testimony to this.”