Two major tunnelling contracts on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in central London worth a total of £265 million have been awarded. Skanska is a joint venture partner in both schemes.
The joint ventures, which include Nishimatsu and Costain/ Bachy Soletanche, will construct a total of 12.2km of tunnels either side of the kilometre-long Stratford Box which was awarded to Skanska last month.
These latest awards, which are part of the second phase of this massive scheme, mean Skanska is now involved with four major civil engineering projects with clients Union Railways (North) and Union Railways (South) on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link totalling £500 million.
The largest of the awards is Contract 220 which is worth £145 million. Cementation Skanska and Nishimatsu, working in a 50/50 joint venture, will construct 7.5km of twin bored tunnels. Bored to a maximum of 40 metres below ground, they will be the longest tunnels on the whole of the high-speed route. Each tunnel will be 7.15 metres in diameter and will be lined with precast concrete segments.
The joint venture organisations, which have worked together over a 20-year period, will also construct 12 cross tunnels and two deep ventilation shafts. Special tunnel boring machines, capable of tunnelling through areas of potential high water pressures, will be used in the project which starts on site in July and is due for completion in 2005. This is Nishimatsu’s third major project in the UK.
The second award, Contract 240, is worth £120 million and is being constructed by a Skanska/ Costain/ Bachy Soletanche joint venture. Construction work includes 4.7km of 7.15-metre diameter twin bored tunnels. Two major ventilation shafts, a 4.5-metre diameter cross tunnel as well as eight cross passages will also be constructed. This scheme is due for completion in summer 2004.