INFRASTRUCTURE
constructionmanagermagazine.com
HS2 SPEEDS UP WITH DIGITAL EARTHWORKS THE EIFFAGE KIER JV IS PIONEERING THE LATEST DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY FOR EARTHMOVING ON AN 80KM STRETCH OF HS2. PETER HADDOCK VISITED THE SITE
A Blackwell Caterpillar 352F LME mass excavation excavator fitted with Trimble Earthworks
On a site near Southam in Warwickshire, the latest digital technology is being used to plan and execute a va s t m u c k s h i f t , p o te n t i a l l y a transformative approach to major infrastructure projects. This is the 23ha ‘heave monitoring site’, part of the Eiffage Kier JV’s civil engineering contract for HS2,
which extends along 80km of the route, between the Chiltern Tunnel in Buckinghamshire and Long Itchington Wood close to Southam. Contractor Blackwell is currently on site, with a fleet of 17 earthworks machines performing different roles, each equipped with GPS technical receivers and other digital technology,
while overhead, a drone is used to survey the site (see boxes p31). The site aims to gain a better understanding of ground movements and map the behaviour of heave in clays when excavation occurs. Eiffage Kier has drilled 34 boreholes across the site, each housing specialist sensors that will constantly monitor and measure
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