Dredger delivered for Tyne Tunnel trench work

Nov 5 2009 by Beverley Pearson, The Journal

CREATING the underwater river trench for the new Tyne Tunnel will start on Monday following the arrival in the river of the cutter suction dredger Vesalius yesterday.

The dredger will work for three weeks on the Jarrow side and then switch to the north bank for another three. It is berthed at Riverside Quay at Tyne Dock on a submersible barge. The barge will sink 15 metres to float the dredger at high water either at noon today or midnight.

Four 90m reinforced concrete tunnel elements have already been constructed at Walker Dry Dock ready for immersion into the dredged trench in January.

Nicolas Caille, project managing director for Bouygues Travaux Publics, the main design and build contractor, said: “The arrival of the dredger is a very visible sign that the key part of this project is about to begin.

“Progress on the land tunnels is right on target, with excavations for all the cut and cover sections complete, and floor and roof slabs for the new tunnel already built in parts of Jarrow and Port of Tyne-owned land at East Howdon. What we need now is the connection between the north and south land tunnels, and with dredging due to start we can look forward to that in a matter of months.”

The dredger will suck up 400,000 cubic metres of sediment which will be pumped directly to infill 13 acres Tyne Dock for future developments.