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The Potomac River Tunnel (PRT) marks the next major phase of the DC Clean Rivers Project. This phase includes constructing a large-diameter deep sewer tunnel, along with diversion facilities, drop shafts, and support structures. These components capture flows from existing combined sewer overflows (CSOs) along the Potomac River and convey them to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant for treatment.
The Challenge
The project team excavated eight shafts to create outfall locations on the river. They removed large amounts of muck and spoil at depths of around 20 metres, then continued to excavate through a hard rock layer below.
During each phase, the team needed to efficiently remove material from the bottom of each shaft, lift it vertically using a crane, transfer it to muck-away zones, and load it onto trucks for removal from the site.
The Solution
Conquip manufactured two 12,000-litre capacity BulkX units and provided a customised gantry that allowed muck to discharge directly into waiting trucks.
This solution gave the project a high-capacity, reliable, and robust method for muck removal. The BulkX units increased the excavation and material removal rate while improving safety and eliminating people-plant interface risks.
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Results
The excavator operator filled each BulkX with muck, and the team then lifted it from the bottom of the 20-metre-deep shaft to the surface, repeating the cycle continuously. Each cycle moved about 14m³ of material every 6–7 minutes, enabling the team to load approximately 9 trucks per hour.
Conquip’s BulkX significantly accelerated the excavation process and reduced project dig times.
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Project feedback
"The biggest benefit of working with Conquip’s BulkX system is they've been hands-on in helping us develop and really bring the efficiency to the system - and we've also bought things to the table and shown them that has helped with the efficiency too. So it’s been a good collaboration.”
“We actually have the advantage of live loading the truck instead of using the muck bins. So instead of having to drop the material into the muck bin and then reload it with another piece of equipment, we actually cut down on how much staffing we need for that and we get to live load the truck and send them straight away from the job site. The spoil doesn't have to be double handled - it just saves us so much time and hassle.
“I would always recommend the BulkX system for mucking away. Conquip are very straightforward, trying to engineer for efficiency and make it better once it’s there."
Tyler Wilt | Site Manager, CBNA"
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Potomac River Tunnel
CBNA (Civil Building North America) JV for DC Water
Potomac River Tunnel
Washington DC, USA
Washington DC, Potomac River Tunnel project achieves productivity gains with Conquip’s BulkX.
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string(4534) "The Project
The TRU East Alliance in the UK is delivering the Transpennine Route Upgrade, a modern high-speed railway designed to provide greener, more reliable train services between York, Leeds, and Manchester.
The team is partially electrifying the line, replacing overbridges and underbridges, installing pedestrian footbridges, upgrading platforms, improving sidings, and completing drainage work—including tunnel boring beneath the line.
They are also realigning the rail, replacing track points, and installing signal gantries as part of the many complex work packages involved.
In May 2024, on a section of railway near the village of Barkston Ash, the contractor faced a complex and time-sensitive challenge: replacing an end-of-life brick arch overbridge spanning the A162, a key access route into York. The bridge carried trains on the CFM line, which connects the northern cities of Leeds and York. The project team spent months planning the replacement, including establishing a rail diversion route to keep passengers moving between the two cities.
https://vimeo.com/984338036/83e5809df3
The Challenge
The team planned the works within a 101-hour window during a four-day blockade. They operated from a compound with no direct access to the track for machinery from road level.
They relied entirely on a 700t Ainscough crane and Conquip lifting accessories to remove track ballast and spoil and to replace it with new bulk material. The team needed to dismantle the 14-metre-long brick arch and abutments—about 650 tonnes of brick and stone—then lift and transport the debris back to the compound using the Conquip Smart-Release BulkX. Only after completing this removal could they begin installing the new structure, which used 45-tonne precast concrete (PCC) sills and 65-tonne steel U-beams to create a stronger, modern bridge.
Excavators and cranes supported the contractor teams, who worked around the clock to complete the rail replacement.
The Solution
Conquip supplied the largest available Smart-Release BulkX skip, with a 16,000-litre capacity, to handle high-volume excavation and material movement.
This remotely operated, fully electric solution maximised operational uptime. It accelerated excavation and material transfer across multiple site areas while enhancing safety and eliminating people-plant interface risks.
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Results
The highly engineered Smart-Release BulkX enabled the team to move materials efficiently from the lower compound up onto the track. By using two skips, the team ensured continuous operation—while one skip delivered materials, the other returned for refill—eliminating downtime and keeping the supply chain to the working face uninterrupted.
"The delivery was on time and to a high health and safety standard and the product has been well received on site, with training offered and arranged. The follow up meetings after returning the product shows that Conquip never stop wanting to improve the system."
John Joyce | Construction Manager, Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU East Alliance)
Project feedback
"Having managed the works since 2023 and well into 2024, it’s been a pleasure to work with the Conquip team. The customer service has been sharp and client-focused, so while we worked 24hr possessions, the out of hours support they provided was excellent."
John Joyce | Construction Manager, Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU East Alliance)"
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Transpennine Route upgrade
TRU East Alliance (Network Rail, J. Murphy & Sons, VolkerRail, Siemens & Systra) with Ainscough Crane Hire
Transpennine Route upgrade
North England, UK
Fully-electric Smart-Release BulkX used on replacement railway bridge project
