Southsea Scheme progressing as planned

Contractors continue to work on the steel sheet piling that will provide support for the Southsea Coastal Scheme new sea defences.

The works are being undertaken by VolkerGround Engineering from the recently constructed working platform on the beach that was formed from dredged material rainbowed from the hopper dredger Sospan Dau.

“This week has involved us starting piling 17.6m steel sheet piles on the east side of the Spur Redoubt and we are making great progress with around 100m installed. We’ve continued extracting old sheet piles to make way for the new sea defence structure, and this will continue next week,” the officials said in the release.

They also said that the start of piling is a major milestone for the Southsea Scheme as it is the first activity that will form part of the permanent defences. “We expect to have piling finished on the eastern section by mid-December and are working additional hours to ensure we get it done as quickly as possible to avoid inconvenience to nearby residents and businesses.”

Next week, the contractors will also continue forming temporary works protection bund with broken out concrete from the old sea defences.

However, the Sospan Dau is expected to return to the site on 14 December. During the return, the dredger will place around 18,000m3 of material to create a second working platform between the Spur Redoubt and the Saluting Platform.