Silvertown Tunnel Drone Survey

The £1bn Silvertown Tunnel project commenced in 2020 and we were proud to be one of the first contractors on site to install the survey control network followed up with an asset conditioning survey completed by our in-house drone team. 

The tunnel is the first major road crossing across The Thames since the opening in 1991 of the QE2 Dartford Bridge and will connect Silvertown to the Greenwich peninsula. The design of the tunnel includes a 1.4-kilometre twin bore tunnel underneath the river and over half a kilometre of access ramps. It represents one of the capital’s most major infrastructure projects and is due to open from 2025. 

Asset Condition Surveys to Silvertown Tunnel Infrastructure Project 

Survey Solutions was instructed to establish the survey control network. The permanent ground markers will be used throughout the entire construction process including the tunnel boring itself. The construction work, which will take place from now until the project’s completion will work from this centralised control network system. Following meetings with the client’s Chief Surveyor it was decided to effectively have two control networks; one based on the Greenwich peninsular and the other north of the Thames in Silvertown. 

Completed over three weeks, Survey Solutions used a combination of the most accurate survey equipment available which included GNSS receivers for logging static observations for post processing, two TM50 0.5” total stations for traversing and a LS15 0.3mm digital level with invar staff. 

Using a Drone to Survey Asset Conditions 

In March 2021, the asset condition surveys of the site commenced where our drone team flew the path of the tunnel development producing a broad range of photographs outlining the existing condition of the buildings and other features. The photos will be compiled into a detailed report which will act as the reference post construction should any concerns be raised that the construction process has led to structural issues in any of the buildings such as cracking. 

Asset condition surveys are an ideal solution for assessing the impact of major infrastructure and construction projects on the wider built environment. They can help establish whether there has been any consequential damage to neighbouring buildings or structures during the work by carrying out pre- and post-construction surveys. Our drone technology is the ideal solution for capturing large amounts of data detail in a time and cost-effective manner. 

Hugo Canales, Survey Manager for the Riverlinx project said “I would like to thank the Survey Solutions team for such a good job.  From the network control reports for the site, I can confirm everything is perfect.” 

David Mainwaring Director for Survey Solutions said “We are very proud to be one of the first contractors that worked on the construction of the Silvertown Tunnel project. The asset condition surveys will also provide the project with valuable data on the existing conditions of the buildings and structures close to the construction site. Our breadth of services provides our clients with a variety of solutions for major projects such as this.”