About the
project
Westhorne Avenue Trunk Main Replacement
Westhorne Avenue, A205 South Circular, London SE9
Clean Water Engineering
RWP provided detailed design for the replacement of a strategic trunk main beneath the A205 South Circular at Westhorne Avenue, delivering critical clean water infrastructure renewal on one of South East London’s busiest road corridors.
2022 - 2024
The Westhorne Avenue trunk main replacement involved the renewal of a deteriorated clean water main running beneath the A205 South Circular. The existing asset presented an increasing burst risk to a major arterial route, with the potential for significant traffic disruption and supply loss in the event of failure.
RWP’s design addressed the challenges of working beneath this busy dual carriageway, specifying construction methodologies to minimise traffic impact while enabling the safe installation of the replacement main. The design included temporary works, traffic management staging and connections to the existing network.
The scheme was coordinated with TfL and the London Borough of Greenwich to ensure traffic management arrangements were acceptable and programme impacts were minimised.
Key Challenges
- Working beneath a busy dual carriageway (A205 South Circular).
- Minimising traffic disruption on a major route.
- Existing asset in poor condition presenting burst risk during works.
- Coordination with TfL and local borough.
- Maintaining supply to large customer base.
Project Phases
- Route assessment and buried services investigation.
- Detailed pipeline and chamber design.
- Temporary works and traffic management staging.
- Construction support and monitoring.
- Commissioning and network connection.
Achievements
- Replacement main installed beneath live dual carriageway.
- Traffic disruption minimised through careful staging.
- No unplanned supply interruptions.
- Strong TfL and borough coordination.
- Critical asset risk removed from the network.
Conclusion
- Early TfL engagement is essential for A-road trunk main works.
- Staged traffic management reduces peak-hour disruption.
- Proactive asset replacement prevents costly emergency responses.
The Westhorne Avenue project demonstrates RWP’s capability in delivering trunk main replacements beneath major urban road corridors, removing critical asset risk while managing the challenges of one of London’s busiest road networks.
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