Blakedown Culvert, Worcestershire – UK

Minova enabled safe refurbishment of the Blakedown Culvert by stabilising a temporary cut face with anchored mesh, supporting pipe jacking beneath the railway.

Sector / Application

Infrastructure, Slope Stabilisation & Embankments

Overview

10m beneath a railway line an unstable culvert required refurbishment. The culvert, with a 1.7m diameter and 47m length, had collapsed in places becoming too unstable to be desilted. To safely refurbish the culvert, concrete pipe jacking would be used. In preparation, a temporary 6.5m high 60° anchored cut face slope would be needed. On-site training would also be provided during anchor suitability testing, allowing the Contractor to conduct the live installation without delay.

Solution

A combination of anchors with wire tendons and mesh reinforcement was used, with timber soldiers to spread the load from the anchors. A total of 67 Platipus Stealth anchors were installed to a depth of 7m using a tracked excavator. The working load of anchors varied between 40kN or 48kN. Temporary anchoring of the cut face slope facilitated concrete pipe jacking and headwall works to safely take place on the culvert. Once works were complete, the anchors were destressed, the mesh reinforcement removed, and the slope reinstated.