Beaminster Tunnel repair work starting soon (From Dorset Echo)

Beaminster Tunnel repair work starting soon

5:11pm Tuesday 19th March 2013 in News

FURTHER work to repair the Beaminster Tunnel will be taking place in the next two weeks.

Dorset County Council has announced that work to stabilise the slopes around the tunnel will be starting at the beginning of April.

The work is not due to be finished in time for the original reopening date in May.

Main works are expected to start soon and contractors will be working extra hours to make up for lost time.

Contractors will start the soil nailing on April 2 by drilling holes into the walls around the tunnel entrances as part of a £2.1m project to reopen the structure.

The first soil nails will then be inserted through these holes.

Councillor Peter Finney, Dorset County Council spokesman for highways and transportation, said: “We are aware of the urgency to get the road open as soon as possible and staff are working hard to make up time.

“This is a very complex engineering problem and it is extremely important that we get it right for the safety of people who use the tunnel and for the future of the tunnel itself.”

The council has been negotiating with landowners to gain access to area around the site which has been prepared for the heavy machinery needed for the soil nailing.

The process will keep the loose soil in place and prevent future landslips.

Around a thousand nails will be driven into the ground and pin a material over the slopes to hold the land in place.

The tunnel’s stone headwalls and the wing walls will be strengthened and new drainage will be installed.