Comber Road Pumping Station

Newtownards, Co-Down

This project involved the design and construction of:

1) Foul and storm gravity sewers, approx 500m each, through a housing estate
2) Foul and storm rising main including 1500m rising main through airfield
3) New foul and storm wet wells constructed by Caisson Method
4) Insitu concrete dry well in housing estate.

Two methods were used to lay the pipelines: 2,139m by open cut and 427m by directional drilling techniques.

Concrete and PE pipes were laid, with diameters ranging from 125mm to 600mm.

Approximately 50% of the inlet and foul pipelines were piled due to the poor ground conditions. This required continuous sheet piling temporary works to retain the ground during excavation. We installed the sheet piles using one of our silent pilers due to the close proximity of existing housing in the area, as seen in the picture above.  A reinforced concrete slab founded on mini-piles, driven inside the sheet pile immediately following excavation, was used to support the twin pipes.

The pumping station structure was originally designed as a reinforced concrete structure on permanent piles and we proposed an alternative solution using “caisson” construction which proved very suitable and cost effective solution in the very soft alluvial deposits at the pumping station location, which was on a very constricted site.