Good morning

Last week, Farrans and our contractor, Joseph Gallagher Ltd, started tunnelling operations at Project Pipeline. A 220m tunnel will be constructed beneath the River Tees, near Barnard Castle, to enable the new £155m water pipeline to be installed, while protecting the watercourse and the wildlife that relies upon it.

Northumbrian Water’s Project Pipeline: County Durham and Tees Valley will see the construction of around 57km of new pipes connecting Lartington Water Treatment Works with around 200,000 customers across the south of the North East.

A specialist tunnel boring machine has arrived on site to begin its journey between two specially constructed shafts. This will create a pathway beneath the river, through which the new pipes will be installed.

Phase 1 of the project will connect Lartington, in Upper Teesdale, with Whorley Hill and Shildon, County Durham, and will be followed by a second phase extending the pipeline from Whorley Hill to Long Newton, connecting to the existing network that serves large parts of Teesside.

In recent months, Farrans and subcontractors Joseph Gallagher, have been building  the two shafts, one on either side of the river.

Dave Mellor, Contracts Director for Farrans, said: “ This is an exciting time for the project team as we begin this highly-technical operation under the river. The western shaft is 8.0 metres in diameter and 32 metres deep, while the eastern shaft is 7.5 metres in diameter and 46 metres deep, the difference being due to the rising topography on the east bank.

“A 221-tonne concrete base has been constructed in each shaft – a volume equivalent to 15 wagons of concrete. The 220m journey beneath the Tees will take up to six weeks to complete, going from east to west, before a large crane will lift the machine back out of the eastern shaft.”

James Dawes, Northumbrian Water’s Project Manager said: “This project has been years in the planning, and ensuring that key strategic crossings, such as the River Tees, are done in the best way possible for the local environment and communities, has been vital.

“While it would have been possible to cross the Tees using a pipe-bridge, we had to consider such factors as how this would impact the stunning Teesdale landscape that will be here long after our team have completed the project and moved on.

“The use of no dig techniques (tunnelling or directional drilling) is becoming increasingly common in our projects, to reduce the impact on our region’s road and rail networks by reducing the need to dig long trenches. However, this is the first time we have employed it to cross a river and the teams at Farrans and Joseph Gallagher Limited have done a great job in creating these massive shafts to make this possible.

Project Pipeline: County Durham and Tees Valley is a huge investment in the resilience and quality of water supplies to around 200,000 customers, and there is a lot of work to be done, but this is an exciting and important milestone as we progress this strategically important project towards completion.”

The arrival of the tunnelling machine was greeted by ten-year-old Penny Green, from Cotherstone, who won a competition to name it which was run by Farrans.  She chose the name Penelope after herself, because “the machine is strong, like her”, and was joined by her family – parents Richard and Kelly, and siblings Toby, Josie and Harry, at the eastern shaft, to see the machine and meet the team.

Kind regards

Karen Alexander

Farrans’ Community Business Partner

Good morning

I spent a wet Wednesday this week in Barnard Castle marketplace, with colleagues from Northumbrian Water, chatting with local people. We talked about not only the work Farrans is doing on Project Pipeline, but also full range of other offers, such as the Priority Services, you can access through Northumbrian Water.

It was a tad damp, so I was glad of my hi-viz waterproofs.  If you missed us, you can catch us again next week on Wednesday 10 April. We’ll be back, rain or shine - keep your eyes peeled for the blue pop-up tent.

Kind regards

Karen Alexander

Farrans’ Community Business Partner

Good morning

How would you answer the question, “Work – why bother?”  Well, that’s what I attempted to do this week, as a Business Ambassador with Durham Works, talking to young people at Bishop Auckland College.

Yes, we talked about wages, but also other things like mental health, self esteem and friendship.  I explained what my job at Farrans Construction meant to me and tried to inspire them to make the best of their talents and follow their dreams.

One boy wanted to be a welder, so I told him about the huge part welding played on Project Pipeline, to show him the importance of this skill in today’s world.

Kind regards

Karen Alexander

Farrans’ Community Business Partner

Good morning

Pipelaying on a £155m project to upgrade the water network across parts of the North East is gathering pace around Barnard Castle. Northumbrian Water’s Project Pipeline: County Durham and Tees Valley will see a total of 57km of new water mains laid from Lartington to Gainford, and across to Shildon and Long Newton, securing reliable and resilient water supplies for around 200,000 customers.

For the next stage of this major project, Northumbrian Water and its construction partner, Farrans Construction, will need to temporarily close a section of the B6278, north of Barnard Castle, during the Easter Holidays.

The closure will be from the junction with Dent Gate Lane from Tuesday 2 April to Friday 12 April 2024 to allow a pipe to be laid across the B-road as part of the overall pipeline. A diversion route, approved by the Council and designed to give safe options for motorists to use roads of the same size or larger, will be signposted, with advance notice signage being put in place to warn regular road users.

Road closure notices and diversion signs will be in place on the roadside to alert road users two weeks ahead of the closure date. We advise road users to allow additional time for any journeys you will be planning that involve the B6278 during this period.

For the period of the closure, we have consulted with our partners in Durham County Council and National Highways and arranged an official diversion route, as follows:

• To travel north out of Barnard Castle, drivers are asked to use the A688 towards Staindrop, then take the B6279 (Moor Road) heading west towards Eggleston.

• To travel south into Barnard Castle, drivers are asked to use the B6279 heading east out of Eggleston to Staindrop, then take the A688 heading west to Barnard Castle.

Typical working hours will be between 7.30am – 6.00pm, Monday to Friday and 8.00am – 2.00pm on a Saturday however, we may work outside those times in order to speed up completion.

We understand closures like this are an inconvenience to you, so we will be working hard to finish this work as quickly and safely as possible. As long as we do not encounter any unexpected problems, we may be able to reopen the B6278 earlier than Friday 12 April 2024.

If you need a little extra help during the work, please let us know as soon as possible by calling the team on 0345 717 1100.

If you’d like to speak to a member of our Project Team, you can telephone our customer contact centre on 0345 717 1100, tweet us @nwater_care or contact us via our community portal. Whichever way is best, we’d really like to hear from you.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers for their patience as this work continues.

Kind regards

Karen Alexander

Farrans’ Community Business Partner

Good afternoon,

We’re working to improve the resilience of our network in Teesdale and parts of central and southern County Durham.  Our £155m Project Pipeline: County Durham and Tees Valley investment will increase reliability, reduce leakage, and provide high quality drinking water for customers for decades to come. 

As part of this work, we’ll need to complete some preparation activity along the route. Our supply partner Farrans Construction will be carrying out work on behalf of Northumbrian Water, in conjunction with Durham County Council to arrange a short-term road closure on an unnamed road to the north of the B6279 between Hilton and Morton Tinmouth.

The road closure will take place from Monday 15th April 2024 to Sunday 26^th April, 2024. It is our intention to complete and re-open the road in a week however with all construction projects, unexpected delays can sometimes occur.  However please be assured that we’re working closely with our partners to do all we can to minimise any disruption for you and your community throughout the work. 

Typical working hours will be between 7.30am – 6.00pm, Monday to Friday and 8.00am – 2.00pm on a Saturday.

If you need a little extra help during the work, please let us know as soon as possible by calling the team on 0345 717 1100.

If you’d like to speak to a member of our project team, you can telephone our customer contact centre on 0345 717 1100 or tweet us on @nwater_care and we will be very happy to help you.

Kind regards

Karen Alexander

Farrans’ Community Business Partner

Good afternoon

Last week, I spent an enjoyable morning working with the junior pupils at Cotherstone school, on the subject of Economic Sustainability.  I delivered a STEM session on bridges, and we talked about their importance in moving people and goods across land and water. We studied at different designs, such as swing bridges and looked at local examples, such as Newcastle’s famous swing bridge. We also looked at some examples of bridges build by Farrans Construction, including the Northern Spire in Sunderland and the Gull Wing bridge which is currently being built in Lowestoft.

We looked at the different job roles involved in such construction project, such as designers, planners, engineers, project managers and health and safety specialists. We finished off by putting theory into practice, by building small models of an ancient bridge design, invented by Leonardo Da Vinci. This took a lot of patience and resilience, as it was a tough challenge. In the end, they managed to show great teamwork and built structures that could hold the weight of a heavy book, simply by using the powers of gravity and friction. Well done!

Kind regards

Karen Alexander

Farrans’ Community Business Partner

Good morning,

We’re continuing with our preparation work along the pipeline route, and we’ve arranged a short-term road closure in conjunction with Durham County Council in the coming weeks.

The road closure will be at Dent Gate Lane from Monday 11^th March 2024 to Wednesday 20^th March 2024,

With all construction projects, unexpected delays can sometimes occur. However, please be assured that we’re working closely with our partners to do all we can to minimise any disruption for you and your community throughout the work.  We’ll be working as quickly and as safely as possible and thank people for their patience while this essential work is happening. 

Typical working hours will be between 7.30am – 6.00pm, Monday to Friday and 8.00am – 2.00pm on a Saturday.

We’ll be placing roadside signage at the road closure points to clearly signpost the diversion routes.

If you’d like to speak to a member of our project team, you can telephone our customer contact centre on 0345 717 1100 or tweet us on @nwater_care and we will be very happy to help you.

Kind regards

Karen Alexander

Farrans’ Community Business Partner

Good afternoon,

Earlier this month, I returned to Ingleton Primary to deliver a STEM session with pupils in their junior classes. My workshop this time was about Bridges and why they are important. We looked at different types of bridge design and examples of these in our area, including one in Sunderland built by Farrans, the Northern Spire, over the River Wear.

We then looked at a very ancient method of bridge building, invented by Leonardo Da Vinci, which relied on the forces of gravity and friction to be load bearing. The pupils worked in small groups using pencils to build miniature Da Vinci Bridges. It was a lot trickier than it looked, but they showed great perseverance and determination to accomplish the task – qualities that will certainly impress future employers later in their lives.

Kind regards

Karen Alexander

Farrans’ Community Business Partner

Good afternoon,

Important update about planned road closure

Earlier this month, we sent letters to a number of nearby properties, notifying of a planned road closure of the road between Hilton and Morton Tinmouth, north of the B6279.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the planned closure which was due to begin on Monday 19^th February 2024, has been postponed at short notice.

We are working to remove signage and make customers in the area aware. We will send out an updated letter to relevant properties with the revised date when this work has been rescheduled.

We apologise for the inconvenience.

If you’d like to speak to a member of our project team, you can telephone our customer contact centre on 0345 717 1100 or tweet us on @nwater_care and we will be very happy to help you.

Kind regards

Karen Alexander

Farrans’ Community Business Partner

Good afternoon,

Yesterday’s engagement session was all about the essential but nerve-racking process of interview preparation. I spent several hours with students from Bede Sixth Form College in Billingham, who were working hard to make a great first impression and demonstrate their range of skills and competencies in mock interviews.

Speaking from my personal point of view, there were several young people who would have fitted into our Project Pipeline team very well. Top marks to the college for arranging this valuable experience and the students for seizing the opportunity.

Best regards

Karen Alexander                                              

Farrans’ Community Business Partner