The land extension project is moving full steam ahead this month and will see a number of giant leaps towards making the dream a reality.

After a Spring plagued with work stoppages due to the coronavirus pandemic, things are humming along once again on Monaco’s land extension construction site.

The operations will be switching from a maritime based set-up to a land based one. This is in conjunction with the near-completion of the soil treatment operations which have been taking place.

A method called vibrocompaction, where 50-metre-long needles were inserted into the ground and made to vibrate, stabilised nearly all of the embankment at the end of May. Only a small portion is left to be done, a site in front of the Grimaldi Forum, which will be taken care of in August.

Another technique being implemented in July is called jet-grouting, injecting a cement and soil mixture into the ground to further stabilise it.

Additionally, the connection between the last caisson and the coast is being completed on the Larvotto side, taking the project one step closer to completion, though the builders on site are reminding people that the water level is lower in this zone, so there will be a temporary and normal gap in this area.

The area will eventually be filled with five-by-four metre quay blocks with a total volume of 90 cubic meters. 48 of the blocks were manufactured at a location in Marseille, and another 14 were poured in Monaco on site.  

From this week, the barge will be installing the last riprap in a process that will take until the end of August. Soon after, roughly 2,500 ten to fifteen tonne blocks will be place underneath the site.

Photo: Design plan of the land extension, Bouygues Construction