maintained, both during the operation
of 11 marine sites impacting the river as well as the additional marine traffic generated by construction. Crane barges, jack-up barges, project tugs and tows are involved, including the

construction sites, removing tunnel spoil and delivering building materials including the many thousands of segments which are linked together to line the tunnel. “This is essential as it will
help to minimise the impact of the scheme on local residents. 

The Greater London Authority (GLA) and Transport for London (TfL) support the
use of the river to help keep lorries,
with the associated pollution and safety
hazards, off London’s roads.

“At the same time, we are starting to
get the river ready for construction, for example by installing moorings needed
for barges moving supplies to and from riverside sites.

“From very early on we have urged
those overseeing the project to use
the river as much as possible –
whether it’s the movement of spoil,
sand, steel or indeed the huge boring machines that will create the tunnels themselves.

“There was some resistance to
maximising the use of the river for transporting building materials, but
we have witnessed a steady increase
with the support of top executives at Tideway. For example, the moving of
tunnel segments will now be done entirely by barge And we’ve played a significant part in making sure that the river will be
the major route for construction traffic and we’re pleased to see that more material will be transported by river than road.

“As one of the principal stakeholders,
we must work with the various
contractors to make sure they are
doing what we’ve authorised.”

shipment of the tunnel
boringmachines, and have
to be safely manoeuvred at a
time of increasing passenger transport and recreational activity.
“So far, there hasn’t been that
much of an increase in river traffic, as just preliminary works are
taking place. As work picks up towards the end of the year, there will be a reduction in navigable water space on which passenger freight and recreational activities can take place. Peak freight activities in relation to the project are expected throughout 2018.”
Terry, along with the rest of our Tideway team, has faced a mountain of paperwork since our involvement started and he’s had
to focus on the three phases of preliminary works: The
construction phase, the
operational phase and the decommissioning phase. “I’ve enjoyed learning more about building on the Thames and the different construction methods
that have been deployed.”

Planning and Skills
James says: “We have
consistently urged the increased use of the river for tunnel