Kingsmead Rd Sewerage Upgrade Works, Canterbury, Kent
Shaft sinking & shaft finishing sub-contractor - Joseph Gallagher Ltd. (JGL)Precast concrete cover slab supplier – FP McCann Ltd
Working jointly as a sub-contractor and supplier on a major five year framework agreement in Southern England, Joseph Gallagher and FP McCann have recently been involved in strategic sewerage improvement works on the Kingsmead Road in Canterbury, Kent. The scheme is one of the last to be completed as part of an extensive £750 million programme of environmental and water quality upgrades taking in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The sewerage works on the Kingsmead Road have been designed to reduce the risk of drains overflowing during periods of heavy rain and include a 15 metre internal diameter storm detention tank. The tank is located in a disused coach park near the centre of the city adjacent to the river Stour.
Construction of the detention tank was carried out using pre-cast concrete segments sunk as a jacked caisson through made ground, alluvial deposits and founded in the underlying chalk formation. Due to the build being below groundwater levels, the shaft was sunk under water and the base plug installed by the tremie method of pumping concrete down a submerged pipe. Following construction of the structural base slab, various pipe connections were installed through the shaft walls; the floor was then benched to direct incoming flows to the pumps.
The pre-cast concrete roof slab was designed by F.P. McCann Ltd for approval by the main contractor. It was designed to be supported on two main beams installed in slots formed in the top of the shaft lining. Once the beams were installed and built-in, the 17 individual slabs forming the roof cover were then placed. The tops of the two beams and 8 of the individual slabs were cast with the reinforcement exposed to allow for the final concrete topping to be cast on site. The design of the slab was required to accommodate 4 openings ranging from 1000mm x 1000mm to 4800mm x 1500mm. Following completion of other ancillary works, the whole area will be resurfaced for future use.
The casting of the cover slab segments at FP McCann’s specialist production facility in Cadeby, Warwickshire was overseen by a dedicated team of experienced shaft and tunnel engineers, detailers and production operatives. The factory is ISO 9001 2008 accredited and the following range of products is available:-
Shaft and tunnel segments/Cover slabs/Caisson rings/Box culvert sections/Jacking pipes/Pipes and manholes/Bespoke precast concrete products.