Keltbray secures Silvertown Tunnel contract

An artistic impression of the new Silvertown tunnel in London, UK. ©Transport for London

Keltbray, a specialist in engineering, demolition and recycling, has secured a contract to provide environmental services for the UK’s £1 billion (€1.12 billion) Silvertown Tunnel project.

Currently under construction, the new twin-bore road will run under the River Thames in east London between the district of Silvertown and the Greenwich Peninsula. 

It is being built for Transport for London (TfL) by joint venture company Riverlinx, which is made up of Ferrrovial Construction, BAM Nuttal and SK Ecoplant.

Construction of the Silvertown Tunnel, which is due to be completed in 2025, aims to reduce congestion on the Blackwall Tunnel and “improve the reliability and resilience of the wider road network”. 

Cliff Burton, Managing Director of Environmental Services at Keltbray, said, “Keltbray is pleased to have secured this major package of environmental works with the Riverlinx CJV to deliver on the Silvertown Tunnel, our environmental solutions will ensure significant carbon reductions on the project.”

Environmental services carried out by Keltbray for the Silvertown Tunnel will include the transportation of excavated material via 1800-tonne capacity barges on the Thames.

©Transport for London

“Many construction projects have set a target to reduce the carbon footprint of construction – not only do we offer shorter road journeys but we are fully committed to using the River Thames as a transportation highway by using 1000 tonne barges from Thames Wharf, which offers considerable carbon savings,” said Burton.

According to the construction specialist, which did not disclose the value of its new contract, a single barge alone will produce “35% less carbon when compared with traditional transportation methods”.

The excavated material will be treated and taken to restoration sites along the Thames where it will be reused.

Keltbray will also provide all labour, plant, equipment, facilities, materials, services, supervision and any resource necessary to carry out and complete the analysis and classification testing of construction waste.