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Donegan Civil Engineering

Shaft and Outfall Construction – Blackpool Coastal Protection Scheme

A shaft within a sheet piled cofferdam and a new pumping station outfall, built to the tide on Blackpool seafront

By: Valentine Donegan

Published: August 6, 2026

Shaft and Outfall Construction - Blackpool Coastal Protection Scheme

Client: Birse Coastal

Project Description / Main Operations

V J Donegan & Co Ltd were awarded 2 subcontracts on the works along Blackpool seafront by Birse Coastal.

Work on the outfall was dictated by the tide, and operatives worked alternating shifts through the day and night to complete the works.

Scope and method – first package:

Construction of an 8.00m diameter shaft within a sheet piled cofferdam approx. 9m deep, the method adopted because the ground was made up of granular fill and subject to tidal water pressure.
Open-cut drainage with pipes of various sizes and a number of manhole chambers, again in sheet piled pits up to 7m deep.
Construction of an in-situ reinforced concrete valve chamber.

Scope and method – second package:

Construction of a new outfall for the existing pumping station.
Lifting in of 14 precast culvert units, approx. 3.4m height x 5.4m length x 1.4m width, each weighing 32 tonnes.
In-situ work to finish the outfall onto the seafront and tie into the existing structure.
Lifting into place of 2 reinforced concrete support beams, each weighing approx. 40 tonnes, with precast slabs placed on top to support the finished pavement surface.

For More Information, contact us at http://www.donegan.co.uk

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