Socotec's utility realignment works at the Lower Thames Crossing

Socotec’s Ground Investigation team has been working on the Lower Thames Crossing, a major government funded Infrastructure project whereby a new twin bored tunnel will be created under the Thames to help relieve the volume of traffic on the Dartford Crossing, close to London, UK.
Socotec's utility realignment works at the Lower Thames Crossing Socotec's utility realignment works at the Lower Thames Crossing Socotec's utility realignment works at the Lower Thames Crossing Socotec's utility realignment works at the Lower Thames Crossing Socotec's utility realignment works at the Lower Thames Crossing

As part of the planning work for the proposed Lower Thames Crossing, Socotec drilled 30 boreholes to check potential locations for utilities to be rerouted

The Lower Thames Crossing project will bring considerable benefits to the local communities and the country as a whole. It will act as a new key transport route across the Thames River, helping to reduce the volume of traffic on the roads. It will also bring new work and development opportunities to the areas along the proposed route.

The scope of works was developed by the client with consideration to working with utility providers, and involved collaborative working with each utility provider, Socotec's principal contractor, Balfour Beatty, and the client, Lower Thames Crossing, prior to works beginning.

The works were completed over two phases; the first phase ran from August 2020 to December 2020 and the second phase ran from July 2021 to May 2022 and consisted of approximately 80 5 - 35m deep cable percussive, rotary and dynamically sampled boreholes, spread over the entire transect of the proposed route.

The data collected by Socotec was used to provide information to the various utility providers whose services will have an interface when the main Lower Thames Crossing Route is constructed and will enable them to design a new route for existing services to minimise disruption during the construction phase of the Crossing.

Over the course of the works, Socotec submitted over 30 factual and interpretive reports to the various utility providers - an achievement that the team were extremely proud of.

 

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