Barhale scoops £36m London sewer revamp job | Construction News

Barhale has nabbed a major job to revamp part of London’s sewer network.

The contractor will deliver “essential remediation works” worth £36m to the Northern Outfall Sewer (NOS), which runs above the Jubilee Line and Docklands Light Railway at Manor Road, West Ham.

Barhale will both design and build the revamp, which will include strengthening the structure with stainless steel pipes. Work will be carried out in phases so the sewers can continue to function.

The stainless steel elements will be manufactured offsite, which will “remove the need for onsite welding and ensure the high levels of quality and precision required are achieved”, said Barhale.

The NOS measures 7.5km and transfers flows to Beckton Sewage Treatment Centr, from a 300km catchment area. Work is expected to complete in summer 2027.

Barhale senior contracts manager Jaimie Lawson said delivering the project in phases will allow “sewer flows to continue throughout the works while avoiding rail possessions and disruptions to road traffic”.

He added: “Although the NOS is an essential part of London’s water infrastructure, it is probably less well known that it also forms the bed for the popular Greenway footpath and we want to make sure that we minimise any impacts on the community.”

The sewer itself is made up of five sewer barrels, three of which were designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette in the 1860s, when the sewer was first developed. Each barrel measures 2.7 metres in diameter.

At any one point, no more than two barrels will be taken out of service, meaning the sewer can continue to function.

As well as carrying out the work, Barhale will facilitate surveys of the condition of the cast iron pipe and hangers that suspend the sewers over Manor Road prior, before potential replacement or refurbishment.

Barhale water director for the southern region, Shane Gorman, said the NOS provides “a critical flow across the capital”.

“We are very pleased to be working alongside Thames Water to deliver this important piece of work, connecting to the Thames Tideway Tunnel and contributing to the overall update of the capital’s water infrastructure.”

The project will increase the design life of the asset by another 120 years.