The Environment Agency has appointed a team comprising CH2M Hill, Balfour Beatty and several specialist suppliers as delivery partner for the £300M Thames Estuary Asset Management Programme.
The programme represents the first 10 years of a 100 year scheme developed by the Agency to protect London and the Thames estuary from current and future tidal flooding.
Specialist suppliers including Critigen, Hunton Engineering, KGAL and Qualter Hall have also been appointed to the integrated delivery team for the 10 year contract.
Work will involve the planning, programming, optimisation and delivery of investigation, design, capital maintenance, refurbishment and replacement works on the existing tidal flood defence assets along the 170km length of the Thames estuary.
The estuary’s tidal flood defence system extends from Teddington in west London through to Sheerness and Shoeburyness in Kent and Essex, protecting 1.25 million people and £200Bn worth of property. It is formed from over 3500 different assets, including the Thames Barrier (pictured).
The asset management programme will see the team deliver capital works including major refurbishment of fixed assets, such as tidal walls and embankments, and refurbishment of active assets including major flood barriers.
It will also carry out major or complex maintenance works, such as repairing long lengths or fixed flood defence walls or subsidence of earth embankments, as well as construction of new assets and capital renewals and replacements.
CH2M Hill managing director for Europe Mark Thurston said: “CH2M Hill brings experience of managing some of the world's largest water projects, whilst Balfour Beatty brings leading flood and coastal risk construction expertise from its long term work in this field.
“Not only will this programme help maintain London as a globally competitive city, it also provides a significant boost to the British engineering sector and the creation of long-term employment in the UK jobs market, with the project requiring skilled engineers throughout the planning, investigation, maintenance and refurbishment works of the next 10 years.”
Photo copyright Chris Wheal and licenced for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
