The massive 70,000 square metre diaphragm wall for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link’s Stratford Box, a sub-surface structure to house Stratford International Station, is starting to take shape just three months into construction.
Large steel reinforcing cages up to 7m x 30m x 1.2 m wide are being positioned into 30 metre deep trenches by foundations specialist Cementation Foundations Skanska which is carrying out the £30 million contract for the UK’s biggest diaphragm wall. The cages are part of the 90,000m3 reinforced concrete wall which provides the structural support to allow excavation of the box.
The company is using three reverse circulation hydromills to excavate the 1.2 metre wide diaphragm walls, which will be 2,434 metres in length when finished next year.
Cementation Foundations Skanska is partnering with main contractor Skanska Construction which is responsible for the £105 million Stratford Box - contract 230 on CTRL’s Section 2, awarded by Union Railways (North) in January 2001. The giant structure will be over 1.2 kilometres long, 50 metres across and 25 metres deep.