No work going on at present, it looks like the COVID-19 lockdown may go on for a while. The Gotherington slip work ground to halt last Friday when the contractors had to leave the site. There's a video showing what happened with the slip, including a short animation. It doesn't explore the causal factors though. The most likely cause will be the prolonged wet weather, the year March 2019 to Feb 2020 is the 2nd wettest on record.
The video is HERE
The last pictures of the site at Gotherington have been supplied by Peter Muir, the GWSR Civil Engineer. They are from Friday 27 March.
The 10m piles at the crest have been placed but the vibrating pile driver was having problems getting them down through the clay. A hammer was brought in but there was a technical hitch that meant it didn't get used before the site was closed.
 |
| Gotherington up side slip, 5m and 10m pile in place |
 |
| 35 tonne excavator with the pile hammer |
The 10m piles will be hammered down when the site reopens, then they will be attached to the middle row of soil nails by tie bars that fit into steelwork behind the piles.
 |
| Soil nail end that will be tied to the piles |
Between the lower line of piles and the boundary hedge, a series of drains are being installed to take water from the embankment. The 5m piles have a line of holes in the top metre that allows water to drain through,
 |
| Trench opened to install a drain to the toe |
Some of the landscaping has been done, the toe snout has been graded back and the spoil used to re-profile down to the toe and some compacted into the haul road.
 |
| Gotherington up side slip, looking towards Bridge 37 |
More news will be posted as and when work starts up again. The appeal for funds is going well, if you haven't seen it yet it's on our website - All contributions gratefully accepted
The story of the slip has been published on the Civil Engineering Blog. This shows how it developed from November through to March.
Stay safe out there
