Good morning.

There’s not a lot of visible action on site today, but the work we’re doing is an important step in preparing for the next stage of construction. Today, we’re building a certified working platform so we can bring in a piling rig and, hopefully, press the piles in, with the weight of the drill rig, rather than vibrate them into place (with the vibe head).

This wasn’t originally part of the plan, but because we’re trialling a different installation method to reduce vibration and minimise the impact on neighbouring houses, we now need to use a larger piling rig instead of the usual vibrating head.

To safely support that larger machine, we need a suitable certified platform with a bearing capacity of 250 kPa.

We had the geotechnical engineer on site this morning. Before their arrival, we pre-rolled the area with a 14-tonne roller. The geotech then carried out DCP (Dynamic Cone Penetrometer) testing and was satisfied with the results of the proof rolling. Based on that assessment, we were advised that no geofabric is required beneath the platform before the CBR45 type 2.3 is loaded out.

The next step is building up the platform material. Body trucks are arriving at roughly 25-minute intervals to deliver CBR 45 Type 2.3 material. We’ve got a T590 Posi-Track skid steer on site to spread the material, and I’ll be operating the roller.

We’ll be constructing the platform in two 150 mm layers to create a total thickness of 300 mm. The bottom layer will be weight-rolled only, while the top layer will be compacted with vibration. The process involves watering the base, spreading the material, and then rolling each layer. In total, we’re expecting to place approximately 180 m3 of material, which works out to just over 400 tonnes of CBR 45 Type 2.3.

Once the platform is complete, the geotechnical engineer will return to test it (nuclear density test) and confirm that it meets the required bearing capacity. We also have a meeting scheduled for next week with the piling contractor to review the platform and confirm readiness for the piling works.

For now, today’s focus is simply getting the delivery process running smoothly. We’ve set up access for the body trucks so they can come in, reverse into position, and unload. The first truck got slightly stuck, so we had to give it a push out, but as we continue placing and compacting the material, the platform will quickly firm up and improve site access.

This work will likely take the rest of today and possibly continue into tomorrow. Once the platform is built, tested, and certified, we’ll be in a position to bring in the drilling rig and move ahead with installing the sheet piles, hopefully next week, subject to confirmation from the piling contractor.

That’s the update for now. We’ll keep building up the platform, managing the deliveries, and preparing the site for the next phase of works.