RMD Kwikform: Release the Tyne Tunnel

Work is progressing on the Tyne Tunnel, UK where formwork and falsework manufacturer RMD Kwikform is helping main contractor Bouygues Travaux Publics and Dunne Building & Civil Engineering on a difficult phase of the project. RMD created an innovative, 21 m-long, 60 tonnes, travelling tunnel soffit support system to assist with the casting of the tunnel’s roof slabs. RMD had just seven days to create the system, following an unsuccessful earlier bid. Having won the contract through Concessionaire TT2’s main Design and Build Contractor Bouygues Travaux Publics at, literally, the last minute, RMD’s engineers teamed up with Dunne Building & Civil Engineering, the tunnel’s North section subcontractor, to successfully design and utilise the traveller system. Travelling on the equivalent of train tracks, the RMD traveller used a combination of bespoke and standard equipment to create a solid yet flexible structure. Able to travel up an incline of 6% it can also withstanding loads of up to 750 tonnes and is capable of supporting up to 300 m3 of concrete.