Morning everyone,

We're here with our latest project developments, including significant progress across various sites and an update on Mount Lane activities.

You may have notice we have accessed land to the South East of Mount Lane where we are preparing excavations for the reservoir drain down pipe, this pipe is essential to the operation and maintenance of the site once complete. The pipe will be installed from the South East corner of the reservoir through both Mount Lane and Springwell road arriving on the pipelaying easement East of Springwell Road. In this case rather than installing the pipe in a traditional open cut trench, we have employed a specialist trenchless technique “directional drilling” this technique will minimise disruption through both Mount Lane and Springwell Road where we normally mobilise temporary traffic management. We anticipate being in this section for four weeks, with the first week dedicated to enabling works for land access, followed by two weeks of directional drilling and land restoration. Throughout the operation a banksman will manage construction traffic to and from site.

Furthermore, you may have noticed temporary two-way traffic control on Mount Lane adjacent to the site compound, we are identifying utility apparatus prior to the implementing the road closure in April, the temporary traffic light will be removed this evening, Wednesday 13th March.

Our site compound off the A195 next to Washington Football hub is fully operational, with cabins set up to support our team. Topsoil stripping and haul road construction and land drainage are complete, paving the way for the next phases of our project.

Starting yesterday, Leam Lane access will be managed under two-way traffic control for up to 2 weeks as we modify the existing junction onto the public right of way. This access serves as access to the pipeline section between the fields alongside the A194 down to Peareth Hall Road. 

Additionally, another compound has been established on Peareth Hall Road, with cabins now in place. Peareth Hall Road will serve light vehicles, while construction traffic will access this work section via our site entrance off Springwell Road.

Over at Eighton Banks, our amended Natural England, Great Crested Newt license has been approved, works will restart on Wednesday of this week. 

We acknowledge that the various road closures mentioned in our last update may have caused some confusion. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused and are in the process of finalising traffic management plans, including diversion routes. In the interim, we've provided Google Maps images indicating the locations of each closure. Once we have the detailed traffic management information, it will be shared.

The drop in sessions continue at the Springwell Village Community venue, these are moving to Bi weekly with the next on Thursday 14th March.

Hi All, As our Springwell Project progresses, we're committed to keep you informed about what’s happening next and I’ve shared below an update on our working areas and details of some planned road closures. The road closures are needed to facilitate the next phase of the project.

We know that Great Crested Newts are in the general of Bowes Railway Line, but we have paused work at Eighton Banks having discovered them near the Mount Community Centre. It’s likely that they woke early from hibernation due to the warm weather and in response to their presence, we’ve revised our existing (Natural England) Great Crested Newt Licence mitigation measures. We are await re-approval - which we hope is next week - so we can restart the pipelaying work we have planned. I will pop a quick update on here when I know the re-start date for that.

At the site of the reservoir construction, we've begun dismantling some of the metal shuttering frames, revealing the joints between the concrete panels. This marks a significant phase in the construction process as it ensures the structural integrity and waterproofing of the reservoir. Our next concrete pour here is estimated to be in 3 to 4 weeks’ time and I’ll share the date on here for you once it’s confirmed.

From 4 April over at the pipeline section, we’re getting ready for the arrival of a temporary compound and set of cabins on Peareth Hall Road.  The planned location of these was initially planned for Springwell Road but we’ve relocated them due to the complexity of the work and our ongoing efforts to minimising the disruption to you and the wider community. To reduce noise and visual nuisance, the location of the set of cabins will now be set up in the adjacent field furthest away from Peareth Hall Road

At Leam Lane, down the public right of way we’re steaming ahead with the installation of the temporary access track. We are expecting a delivery of site cabins from 11 March which will be in a field alongside the A194, away from Leam Lane.

Upcoming Traffic Management and Road Closures

We've had to schedule various road closures to facilitate the next phases of our project and we’ve taken measures to keep our workforce and our customes safe while reducing – where we can - the impact we know that the traffic management and road closures can have.

On Leam Lane there will be a temporary modification to the existing junction to the public right of way access under 2-way traffic management from 11 March for two weeks.

At Mount Lane there will be two-way traffic lights in place from 15 April for two weeks, followed by a full road closure from 29 April to 24 May, the closure is required to bring the three large diameter inlet/outlet pipes onto the reservoir site North – South through Mount Lane.

A full road closure at Peareth Hall Road is planned from 17 June to 19 July.

At Springwell Road, to lessen the impact during school holidays, a full road closure will be in place from 22 July to 18 August.

I know that these temporary arrangements will mean alternative routes need to be taken and be assured that we’re exploring all options to reduce the impact where we can and mitigate the effects on the local community.

We continue to appreciate your understanding and patience as we continue our work and while we continue to make every effort to minimise disruption, please let us know if you would like to discuss any aspects of the above with our project team by getting in touch via the contact button above.

As a final note I wanted to take this update opportunity to share our recent collaboration with the Mount Community Centre where we've helped to restore their garden footpaths. The project team donated stone which was and transported and installed by our workforce and while it was hard work , it was also a great rewarding day being able to support this local community space and continue with our ongoing commitment to making a positive contribution to Springwell Village and its residents.

Many thanks

Sarah

Hello Everyone,

As we continue to progress through the early months of 2024, good progress is being made across the site. On the reservoir site we are in the process of filling in the gaps between the pre-cast concrete reservoir walls and I’ve attached photos to give you an insight into the process. The inlet / outlet valve concrete chamber continues to progress and now that we have two cranes on site, further pre-cast walls are be placed into position as well as several columns to support the roof.

The concrete pour scheduled for the 13 February was delayed due to wet weather, but we managed to complete it on 14 February.

Our next concrete pour is subject to the progression of other works we need to complete on site, and I’ll update you again when we plan to complete the next pour.

At Eighton Banks, our pipelaying activity has met with unforeseen delays, notably the discovery of some uncharted services along our pipe route. This delay will mean that our work will very likely extend into the end of April in and around Galloping Green Road and Sandy Lane. Be assured that we will do everything we can to make up any delays as this is a benefit to both us and the community.

Traffic management will soon be in place from early to mid-March at The Mount Community Centre and the rear of Thomas Street, moving to the junction of Sandy Lane in early April to. Rest assured, we aim to keep disruptions to a minimum, with clear signage ensuring access to local businesses.

On the pipeline section between Springwell and Washington, work is moving steadily. We’re preparing for the arrival of cabins at our site compounds off the A195 next week, with additional setups expected at Pearth Hall Road and Leam Lane in early March. These satellite compounds are essential for the main pipe installation phase, which is set to ramp up from mid-March.

We’re thrilled to resume our drop-in sessions at the Cosy Café in Springwell Village community venue. Your feedback is incredibly important to us, so please feel free to pop by Thursdays between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm.

We are in the process of finalising dates for necessary temporary road closures required to construct pipelines, please keep an eye out for updates.

Your patience, understanding, and engagement with our project are greatly appreciated. We’re committed to keeping you informed and minimising any impact on your daily lives.

Stay tuned for further updates, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or feedback.

Hi all, our planned concrete pour tomorrow has been postponed to Tuesday 13th February, due to the forecasted weather.

Thanks 

Sarah

Hi all, we are pleased to update you on the progress across the site. The concrete pour went ahead as planned on Tuesday 30 January and concrete finishing / power floating continued into Wednesday morning. This is specialist work that not everyone will be familiar with so for a closer look at this process, we have added a video of the concrete pour along with a picture of the power floating.

Depending on the weather, the second of our eight concrete pours in the northwest corner of the reservoir is planned for next week on Thursday 8 February.  

We have another planned concrete pour during the week beginning 26 February. Once we have a firm date, I will share this with you.

On the pipeline section between Springwell and Washington, we are continuing to make good progress with our topsoil stripping and haul road construction. The satellite compounds are beginning to take shape and we’ll start to receive on site materials needed for the main pipe installation and from mid-March, you may notice pipe deliveries into these compounds. Again, once we have further information on delivery schedules, I will share this with you. 

We're also excited to announce we’ll be restarting our drop-in sessions at the Cosy Cafe in the Springwell Village community venue following their recent kitchen renovation. These will start from Thursday 8  February between 11:30 am and 13:00 pm. Please feel free to pop along if you have any questions as we’d really like to hear from you.

In our commitment to maintain a clean and safe environment, several of our team members carried out a litter pick along the public rights of way between Leam Lane and Peareth Hall Road this week. We are dedicated to not only improving the infrastructure for all but also caring for our surrounding community areas. Pictures of this can be seen below. Please don’t judge Richard because he is a Westham supporter!

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we continue our work and will continue to make every effort to minimise disruption.

Hi All

We're pleased to announce that the second crane has arrived on site, marking significant progress. Alongside this, we experienced a minor issue with a cement mixer breakdown, and we hope this didn’t cause too much disruption and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Our concrete pour has gone ahead today, starting at 8am pouring of 400m3 of concrete approx. 50 truck loads over the course of the day. This will form the floor of the North East section of the reservoir.

Our pipe-laying work in Eighton Banks is pressing ahead. From Monday, there will be a closure of the bottom section of Galloping Green Road by the Public Rights of Way, as we progress towards the Wagon. Traffic management will be implemented when we reach the rear of Thomas Street. We will keep you updated as this progresses and share the traffic management plans on here.

For safety reasons, the Public Rights of Way along the pipeline route are currently closed. We have received some valuable feedback regarding improvements to alternative routes, which we have forwarded to Sunderland Council for review.

Your feedback is essential to us, and we're striving to balance the needs of the project with the wellbeing of our community. We thank you for your ongoing patience and understanding.

Hi All, todays concrete pour has been rescheduled to Tuesday 30th January due to the high winds.

Thanks 

Sarah

Hello everyone,

We received a question relating to concrete pour planned for next week, the question related to the potential for overnight work once the concrete has been poured.

As indicated in last week’s update we are forming part of the reservoir floor, these works are being undertaken in the North East corner of the reservoir site.

In advance of the works we have consulted with the Sunderland City Council environmental team.

The process can be explained as follows:

·       Steel Fixing (rebar) complete.           

·       Shuttering complete.

·       Aim is to mass pour 400m3 (equivalent to 50 + truck loads).

·       08:00am concrete mixers commence arriving on site estimate pour complete by approximately 18:00pm.

·       Power floating (a one man operated rotating power float rig) with six rigs through the night into the following day.

Once pour is completed, we then move onto power floating the concrete to a smooth surface finish.

Example of a similar project, concrete pour below.

Thanks 

Sarah

Happy New Year to you all.  We hope you had a wonderful Christmas break. As we step into the new year, we'd like to share some updates on the various sections of our ongoing works.

Carr Hill Inlet Pipeline

From Monday 15^th January, we are back on track to commence and complete phases 1&2, the public right of way to the rear of The Mount will be temporarily closed as we continue these phases towards The Mount Community Centre and up to the rear of Sandy Lane / Galloping Green Road. As we enter phase 2, Galloping Green Road, traffic management will be re-introduced I will share a further information and detail here on this portal.

Please also note to help speed up these delayed works we plan to work most Saturday’s between 08:00am and 13:00pm.

Springwell Reservoir

Over the next three months, we will be forming the concrete floor of the new reservoir, this will require eight individual continuous concrete pours which take up to ten hours, the first of these pours is scheduled for the 22nd of January. The pours will commence at 08:00am and on occasions we will potentially be working through the night into the early hours. Please note through the hours of darkness we will have floodlights in place, you may notice low level background noise from the floodlight generators.

Our welfare facilities on Mount Lane will also remain open for staff during these extended shifts. We understand this may cause some disturbance and appreciate your patience as we complete each of the eight planned pours.

We will advise on the dates for the remaining seven pours as and when they are planned.

Furthermore also note, to maintain the construction programme, a second crane will be arriving on site within the next two weeks.

Springwell - Pikes Hole Pipeline

We're currently installing fencing, land drains, and undertaking topsoil stripping in this along the pipeline route.

A new access has been established off the A195, leading to an additional site compound behind Washington Football Centre.

At Leam Lane, we're creating a temporary access haul road from Leam to the pipeline working area.

We understand that these works can cause disruptions, and we're doing everything we can to minimise the impact on your daily lives. Your understanding and patience are greatly appreciated as we progress.

Many thanks

Anya

Good afternoon everyone, as the site team head of for a well earned Christmas break, I would like to summarise a year end project update.

The project is broken down into three distinct sections :

Carr Hill Inlet Pipeline 

Some may recall we broke these works, Sandy Lane / Galloping Green Road to Bowes Incline railway line into three phases:

Phases 1&2 have not ran to plan, we were due to complete this section in December, we have encountered difficulties with our pipe supplier, pipes are now on site, these two phases will commence when we return to site on the 2nd January 2024, it will take a few days to implement the works in this area therefore look out for the traffic management that we will have in place.

Phase 3, the trunk mains connection for the new inlet pipe, you may recall was planned for the 3rd January 2024, this would of involved the closure of  Sandy Lane / Galloping Green Road junction, again this has been postponed mainly due to ongoing operational issues further afield within our strategic water network, undertaking the proposed works at this location was deemed too much of risk, therefore these works will be rescheduled on a date to be agreed sometime in 2024, we will ensure that everyone is made aware of this revised date.

On a more positive note, the tunnel beneath the Bowes Incline Railway was completed we will complete the new pipe insertion early in January 2024.

Springwell Reservoir 

You may of noticed if travelling along Mount Lane that the reservoir is starting to take shape, thanks you everyone for your patience and understanding whilst we undertook the bulk excavation, we broke up 60,000 cubic metres of sandstone rock and led it away from site to Springwell Quarry, over a period of eight weeks this equated to at its peak 180 vehicle movements a day to and from site, dust and mud dependant on the weather was and remains a challenge to our site, a combination of mitigation measures, dust suppression, wheel wash and road brushing will remain through the remaining construction period.

Reservoir wall erection to the east and northern aspects of the site as you will have seen are slowly being installed, from the bottom up, the deep reservoir sump and now underground control building and outlet chambers are slowly being constructed, this will eventually be a two storey below ground structure, steel fixing and concrete floors pours  are well underway.

Inlet / outlet pipes to the reservoir are being designed with implementation of these works expected in the spring of 2024, look out for a notification in early 2024 of a road closure to allow these pipes to be laid through Mount Lane.

Springwell - Pikes Hole Pipeline

Works have progressed at pace on this section, land to the south of the compound where the new outlet pipe is to be laid has been fenced off and topsoil is being stripped, as has the land to the east of Springwell road where we have formed a temporary access route, in these areas we have resident archaeology watching briefs being undertaken by Durham University, we are working closely with Tyne & Wear County Archaeologist on the areas of interest and mitigation measures before the pipelaying commences.

Elsewhere along the pipeline route, in early 2024 we will be constructing access routes either side of Pearth Hall Road, look out for notifications of temporary road closures in 2024 whilst we lay the pipe through both Springwell Road and Pearth Hall Road (not at the same time). From Pearth Hall Road, the pipeline will hug land to the Northern edge of the A194 before crossing beneath the A195 finishing in and around Waterloo Road.

In summary, overall we are currently on programme to complete and have the new installations up and running by March 2025, followed by land restoration throughout the site.

Once again thank you everyone for your patience and understanding in 2023 as well as the year ahead whilst we undertake these works.

The site will be closing today returning on the 2nd January 2024, we will have security cameras operating throughout the site over the Christmas break as well as an our of hours emergency site contact telephone number 07970 173587.

Have a great Christmas and New Year.

Many Thanks 

Richard Johnston 

Project Manager