A critical contract that will help to unlock works at the northern end of London’s newest river crossing has been awarded to Barhale.

RiverLinx CJV, the joint venture comprising Ferrovial, BAM Nuttall and SK E&C, has appointed the civil engineering and infrastructure specialist to divert water mains which would otherwise clash with the proposed route of the £1 billion, 1.4 km twin-bore Silvertown tunnel under the River Thames.

A six-month programme of works, scheduled to run from July 2022 to December 2022, will see Barhale re-route the two twin 1400mm rising mains to allow the cut-and-cover construction of the northern approach to the new tunnel.

When completed, the new crossing will run to the east of the 123-year-old Blackwall Tunnel, connecting the A102 at Greenwich Peninsula to the A1020 at west Silvertown, adjacent to the western end of the Royal Victoria Docks.

The project forms a major element in London’s future transport strategy. It will ease traffic congestion and help the local infrastructure accommodate anticipated population increases in the catchment area.

A key benefit is the improvement in public transport links between the two sides of the river. It is forecast that the numbers of buses making the crossing will increase to 37 buses an hour, all of them able to use dedicated traffic lanes.

Michael Faherty, Contracts Manager at Barhale, is proud of the appointment and of the role his team will play in adding a new, vital connection within the capital.

“We all understand how frustrating getting around London can be at times,” he said. “So it is great to be contributing to the transformation of travel in this part of town.

“It is a very pleasing endorsement of the skills and expertise that we bring to the table that we have been selected and we look forward to working alongside the RiverLinx team, playing our part in delivering this world-class engineering project.”