The Environment Agency’s Adur tidal walls scheme in Shoreham-by-Sea is making great strides as it nears the final stages of construction with completion expected by the end of the year.
A major component to making good progress has been the use of the Giken press piling train to drive in the steel piles.
This is a Giken silent piling unit, power pack, and crane mounted onto the piles (a ‘reaction stand’), using the installed piles as tracks – like a train.
The Giken piler drives piles silently by pressing them into the ground. This is located at the front of the ‘train’ pressing piles in at the front. The whole train walks along, following the Giken silent piler to install piles in a linear fashion.
This equipment has proved to be key to working in the tight spaces between the Shoreham houseboats and the houses landside of the path, driving in the steel piles to form the wall’s core support.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “ More than two-thirds of the Shoreham Adur tidal walls flood defense scheme has now been completed. Having started construction in October 2016 we expect to finish by the end of this year.”
A Team Van Oord spokesperson said: “ In the W5 reach we have had to install some 1,176 sheet piles – each one 11 meters long. The work was complicated by being close to 40 houseboats along a stretch of 700m. However, we made sure to consult with stakeholders and houseboat owners keeping them informed on developments. ”