Barking Riverside

The Challenge

The construction of Barking Riverside's new London Overground Station and rail line will serve Barking's emerging development area of 10,800 new homes and leisure facilities.

Piles were required under the existing Barking Riverside bridge for a future access ramp into the Barking development. Six piles were to be installed within just 4.5m of headroom with live railways on either side of the working area. The remaining six piles were installed during weekend possessions which required railway blocks.

The Solution

Martello's bespoke low headroom MP4000 series piling rigs were well suited to this project due to their ability to install large diameter piles within as little as 3.5m of headroom. Working adjacent to the Network Rail OLE lines and within 4.6m of headroom, Martello installed a total of 12no. 1050mm diameter rotary bored piles to 21m.

Polymer support fluid was used during casing installation to prevent the migration of water into the bore until the pile is sealed into clay. The polymer plant was set up between the rail lines to feed and return digging fluid to the pile when required.

Using Martello's low headroom piling rig allowed for the piles to be installed beneath the existing bridge prior to demolition, saving programme time for the main contractor with minimal disruption to the local area.