VolkerGround Engineering was awarded a contract to install temporary sheet piles on the Anchorsholme Pumping Station. This enabled the building of a pumping station within a completed circular cofferdam in Anchorsholme.
The Anchorsholme Pumping Station project is part of the ‘Fylde Bathing Waters Programme’, an initiative set up to improve the quality of bathing waters in the North West.
VolkerGround Engineering’s works involved the installation of 186no. AZ 28-700 piles 22m driven initially into water bearing sands and silts, but founded in stiff glacial tills that underlie the Fylde area. The team applied beltan sealant to pile clutches prior to delivery on site, in order to improve water tightness.
Due to the close proximity of residential properties, the anticipated hard driving of piles through the stiff clays, VolkerGround Engineering pre-augered each pile location in order to loosen the soil.
VolkerGround Engineering also fitted and utilised double jaws on an ABI TM 22 hydraulic leader rig. This allowed each Z-pile to be clamped individually reducing the noise from the clutch interaction during driving.
Piles were driven using an MRZV 30VV high frequency piling vibratory hammer. Where works were critically close to the site boundary a pressing technique was adopted utilising water jetting. This adaptation of standard plant was successful and enabled the works to complete on schedule.
The project won 29 WOW award nominations from local residents and was awarded the Lancashire Project of the Year at the North West Regional Construction Awards.