Supporting RTE’s network renewal programme in northern France, constructing almost 2km of trenchless crossings to connect key substations. As always, the challenge is how to build the crossings in dense urban environments without disrupting daily life.
While OPTIMUM engineers initially analysed 10 potential crossing sites (at the G1 PGC study phase), 5 sites were ultimately selected. Passing beneath roads, rails and waterways, each crossing consists of a double underground cable 225 kV – sometimes parallel, sometimes not – just to make things a bit more interesting !
Two HDD crossings in Tourcoing – both drilled by COQUART – are now complete :
- 2 x 150 m long HDDs drilled under a busy four-lane road and the T1 tramway lines.
- 1 x 130 + 1 x 195 m long HDDs. These drills had to pass not only beneath the Canal de Tourcoing, but, crucially avoid its bridge foundations, while remaining within public land and minimising impact above ground. The resulting design placed the first drill 6 m under the canal and the second an additional 5 m below that, in total 12 m beneath the canal bed.
Great teamwork, finishing drilling operations ahead of schedule.
Attention now turns to the remaining three crossings ; watch this space !
