Work to backfill the new Tyne Tunnel, which was submerged in the river last month, is due to get under way.
Four concrete tubes have been lowered into a trench in the riverbed, and will now be filled with material collected during routine dredging.
The 390ft (120m) dredger Alexander von Humboldt will gather the material from the mouth of the Tyne and deposit it via pipeline.
The work will help stabilise the new tunnel, due to open in February 2011.
Trevor Jackson, managing director of TT2, which is building the new crossing, said: “By reusing the clean, inert material from the river’s maintenance dredges we are saving about 170,000m3 of material from being disposed of at sea.
“This is in addition to the 400,000m3 of material that was due for disposal at sea and landfill following the excavation of the river channel last year, all of which was reused to infill Tyne Dock.
“This represents around one million tonnes of reused waste in total, which I consider to be a fantastic environmental saving.”
The Alexander von Humboldt, which is due to arrive on Tuesday, will be one of the biggest dredgers to work so far up the Tyne – at the site of the new tunnel between East Howdon and Jarrow.
When the second crossing opens, the existing tunnel will close for 10 months to allow the modernisation work to be carried out.
Source:bbc,March 9,2010;Image:Shipspotting,March 7,2010
