A 20 metre wide, crane-laden barge moves into position near Blackfriars Bridge, signalling the start of work on London’s £4.2bn super sewer. CPBS boats, Shake Dog and Bull Dog, ushered the barge under
seven Thames’ bridges, so work could begin on a new pier to the east of Blackfriars. It will serve a Thames Clippers stop that comes into use later this year. The work also includes a new staircase and lift connecting Embankment to Blackfriars Bridge.

Building the new pier is just one of the early jobs being done to get ready for construction of the 25km long tunnel, which will stop many millions of tonnes of sewage

overflowing into the tidal Thames every year.

Andy Alder, central project delivery manager for Tideway, said: “Getting the barge into place was no mean feat. The 29 metre wide barge had
to be carefully threaded under seven bridges and through traffic on one
of the busiest working rivers in
the world.

“This crane will give us the capability we need to prepare the Blackfriars site for our vital work to upgrade London's sewerage system.

“Work is taking place directly
next to one of Sir Joseph
Bazalgette’s famous interceptor sewers in the embankment, so

it’s a fitting place to start our work.”

Every year sewage overflows into
the River Thames from Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO) points
along the river. The Thames
Tideway Tunnel will intercept
sewage from the 34 most-polluting CSOs, including the Fleet sewer 
at Blackfriars, before transferring
it to Beckton in east London
for treatment.

During construction, Tideway is aiming to transport 90% of spoil
from the main tunnel by river, drastically cutting the number of
lorry trips that would otherwise
be needed.