Project Update 08/01/2026

Hi everyone and Happy New Year!

With all of our crews back on site at Gallows Corner this week and pressing ahead following the festive break, we wanted to bring you up to date on our continued positive progress.

Microtunnelling

You may recall that we are installing a section of the water main using a “microtunnelling” technique that allows us to safely navigate other companies’ existing utilities and culverts to the east of the roundabout.

Specialist teams worked through the break to prepare the “drive” and “reception” pits, ready for this microtunnelling. The “drive” pit, at the edge of the roundabout area, is where the team will operate from, tunnelling east towards the “reception” pit.

The pit excavation work has progressed in line with the programme and now we are preparing to create their concrete bases, which will make it safe to position the necessary heavy machinery in the pits. The timing of the required concrete pours is dependent on a moderate rise in the temperature, and forecasts are currently looking favourable for this to happen in time for us to start the actual tunnelling on Monday, as per the programme. We will be keeping a close eye on this.

Once started, there will be a continuous tunnelling process ongoing for around a week, before we anticipate the machine reaching the reception pit. Acoustic barriers are being put in place between the drive shaft and nearby properties, to minimise any noise impact, and we will be monitoring noise levels at the reception pit as well.

Pipelaying and connections

Elsewhere on site, we are working on the final element of the more traditional “trenched” pipe laying work, to the west of the roundabout, and we are starting to work toward connecting the various phases of pipe together to make one new water main.

Thank you as always for your patience and understanding, while we work towards completion of this important and complex piece of engineering.