2022

SU5621 : Pipe beneath Stakes Lane

taken 2 years ago, near to Dean, Hampshire, England

This is 1 of 2 images, with title Pipe beneath Stakes Lane in this square
Pipe beneath Stakes Lane
Pipe beneath Stakes Lane
Where Stakes Lane (C88) is crossed by Bigpath Lane. This is the other side of Link . There is quite a large excavation here. A single steel pipe has been inserted through the chalk beneath the road. Unfortunately, I did not catch the machine that did this insertion, but presumably it occupies most of the trench in the foreground. One method is to drill a hole slightly larger than the pipe diameter, and then insert the pipe, allowing the soil (or in this case chalk) to settle back onto the pipe. Alternatively, you can fit some kind of spike onto the front of a pipe and then force it hydraulically through the soil. In this case I would have thought the chalk would be too rigid for the latter technique. In either case it is important not to scrape the anti-corrosion coating of the steel pipe. Esso subsequently confirmed that auger boring was used here.
Esso Southampton to London pipeline 2020

In October 2020 Esso Petroleum Company obtained the Southampton to London Pipeline Development Consent Order 2020, permitting them to constuct a new fuel pipeline of diameter 330 mm from Boorley Green to the West London Terminal storage facility in Hounslow. It would carry high-pressure aviation fuel produced at their Fawley refinery to Heathrow airport.

The official web site of the project was LinkExternal link .

The new pipeline would follow the route of an existing one which was coming to the end of its life, but without disrupting it.

Works first became visible in Hampshire in 2022 when lots of little rectangular fenced pens were created, in pairs, on either side of certain roads. The purpose of these pens was to enclose land needed to operate machines to take the pipeline beneath these roads. Two methods were mainly used: pipe pushing and auger boring depending, it seems, upon the nature of the ground. Pipe pushing could not be used in hard ground like flinty chalk.

Earlier, in 2020, short surface scrapes could be seen on Google Earth, running diagonally across the line of the pipe and making a zig zag form. These were preliminary archaeological surveys.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Peter Facey and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Energy infrastructure Lowlands Roads, Road transport Primary Subject: Works
This photo is linked from: Other Photos: · Pipe beneath Stakes Lane Title Clusters: · Pipe beneath Stakes Lane [2] ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
+
+
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
TIP: Click the map for more Large scale mapping
Grid Square
SU5621, 16 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Peter Facey   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Tuesday, 17 May, 2022   (more nearby)
Submitted
Tuesday, 17 May, 2022
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SU 5613 2176 [10m precision]
WGS84: 50:59.5505N 1:12.0961W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SU 56121 21731
View Direction
North-northeast (about 22 degrees)
Clickable map
+
NW N NE
W Go E
SW S SE
Image Type (about): geograph 
This page has been viewed about 22 times
You are not logged in login | register