£5.2 million HS2 site investigation awarded 19 Jul 2018

As part of design and construction preparation works for the HS2 Chilterns tunnel and Colne Valley viaduct, Align JV consisting of contractors Bouygues TP, VolkerFitzpatrick and Sir Robert McAlpine, and consultant Jacobs has awarded a £5.2 million pre construction site investigation package to geoscience company Fugro to provide detailed ground intelligence.

Site investigation ahead of HS2 construction

The work will include a programme of rotary holes to depths of up to 100m. A further 20 boreholes will be drilled from pontoons to help inform the design of the viaduct piers. Fugro will also undertake in situ and cone penetration testing, along with laboratory testing and factual reporting.

Already underway, the 12-month programme is split over two phases running March to June and July to February 2019. With previous experience of investigating chalk geology, Fugro geoscientists will apply advanced techniques to determine ground strata and engineering properties to help Align optimise tunnel and foundation design.

Fugro has been providing site characterisation data for HS2 since 2016, completing contracts at locations between London and Birmingham as one of the appointed specialists on the preliminary ground investigations framework.

“We are pleased to be engaged in the advanced stages of site investigation for HS2 and supporting Align with the delivery of ground data for some of the most challenging tunnel and bridge structures of Phase 1,” said Ian Judge, Fugro framework director for HS2.

“As with our previous HS2 work, Fugro is offering innovative solutions through early involvement with the client to reduce subsurface uncertainty and help the design team manage ground risk.”