Volker Stevin wins £16m river tunneling contract

Specialist contractor Volker Stevin Marine has won a £16m contract to build a new tunnel under the River Tyne.

Working with main contractor Bouygues Travaux Public S A, Volker Stevin Marine will be responsible for the manufacture, transportation and submersion of the project’s tunnel units.

Construction of the concrete units will start this summer at a dry dock in Wallsend in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

The contract involves the construction of four 90m-long split sections of rectangular pre-cast and reinforced concrete tunnelling 8.5m by 15m.

The tunnel sections will be floated down the Tyne and submerged adjacent to an existing tunnel in autumn 2009.

Volker Stevin managing director said it was one of the biggest civil engineering contracts awarded in the north east of England.

He said: “Although this tunnelling technique has not been used extensively in the UK, our marine specialist staff have been using this sort of technology in Europe for many years.”

The new tunnel will run parallel to the existing Tyne Tunnel and will carry all southbound traffic, while the existing tunnel will take northbound traffic.