Saving a canal bank from erosion
Maud Foster Drain is broad canal integrated into the extensive fen drainage system. Ivor King installed a permanent retaining wall to stabilise the canal bank and help reduce the impact of erosion to adjacent properties.
To gain access to the watercourse, a temporary U shaped sheet piled cofferdam was installed at the top of the canal bank, then covered by modular steel crane mats and timbers as a
bearing base for our 70T Lattice Boom Crawler Crane. This was necessary to de-risk slope slippage on the bank whilst the crane was loading equipment down to water level. As an extra safeguard, a seismograph was deployed to monitor vibration at surrounding residential properties during this enabling stage of piling activity.
From the crane platform, two formations of floating pontoons were then mobilised into position on the water. One was utilised as a working platform to carry piling plant and equipment, the other loaded with the required stocks of sheet piles.
Looking after the environment
As part of our due diligence and duty of care to the surrounding environment, a silt curtain and oil boom was put in place around the modular floating pontoon working platform.
Following Movax installation of dummy piles for the Giken Silent Piler to sit upon, a total of 165 PU22-1 steel sheet piles in 9m and 10m lengths were installed vibration-free using state-of-the-art
eco-friendly Giken Silent Piling technology, minimising the impact of the works on local residents and protecting the surrounding fauna and flora. The excavator mounted Movax attachment was also utilised to pitch piles to the Giken from the floating pontoons once the crawler crane was out of range.
Finally, one tonne bags of backfill material were mobilised on our floating pontoons to facilitate the backfilling of piles and landscaping of the canal bank.
