Fugro will be providing ground intelligence to the Align consortium, which is responsible for the section C1 civil engineering package extending from the Colne Valley viaduct to the northern portal of the Chilterns Tunnel.
Align JV consists of contractors Bouygues TP, VolkerFitzpatrick and Sir Robert McAlpine together with consultant Jacobs.
Geotechnical work includes a programme of rotary holes to depths up to 100 metres. 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.
The 12-month programme, which has already begun, is split over two phases running between March and June and then July through to February 2019. Fugro geoscientists will apply advanced techniques to determine ground strata and engineering properties to help Align optimise tunnel and foundation design.
The Dutch company 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.
Ian Judge, Fugro’s framework director for HS2, said: “We are delighted 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. 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.”
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