The construction site of the century must deal with the pandemic of the century. Work on the Grand Paris Express, the future 200 km metro, which will serve the city from 2024, has resumed gradually since April 20. However, operations are carried out in strict application of the health protocol established by the Professional Organization for the Prevention of Building and Public Works (OPPBTP).
Example on the construction site of line 15 south, at the foot of the Sèvres bridge (Hauts-de-Seine). A small tent is erected in front of the construction site. Visitors wait in single file. Before entering the premises, everyone must take a temperature test, wear a mask, and stamp their “Covid-19 passport” attesting to their state of health.
Each "companion" has four masks per day, to be changed every two hours. This obligatory stage slows down the assumption of post. “On average, you have to arrive half an hour earlier. This additional working time is paid for by the employer, ”underlines Bruno Menez, communications manager for the Horizon group (Bouygues).
In the base life, companions must respect the distance of one meter on all occasions. This results in half the number of people in the locker room at the same time. "In total, it takes up to 90 minutes between arrival on site and taking up the position," says Bruno Menez. Two maintenance workers permanently disinfect the premises. And of course, the companions cannot have lunch side by side on the same table. Adhesive tapes mark the distances to be maintained in the refectory.
Direction the tunnel shaft Laurence. Again, a security guard requires the Covid-19 passport stamped at the entrance. The huge machine is accessible 30 meters below the surface of the ground. To get down, you have to use the stairs. The only elevator is reserved for the climb, up to three people, which slows back and forth. The routes have also been reorganized to prevent crossings. On the underground monster, the teams continue to work at 8 or 10. But never at more than two in the cabin.
Launched on January 6, the tunnel boring machine Laurence only dug 120 meters towards Paris. Workers can easily access Laurence's cabin on foot. But elsewhere, the tunnel boring machines are located several kilometers from the entrance. Again, the staff must be half the number of vehicles transporting them through the tunnel, which further slows traffic on the site.
€ 20 million in compensation paid to companies (out of a total budget of € 35 billion)
Each worker now has their own walkie-talkie. The tools (screwdrivers and others) are also personal and must be disinfected every day ... All these sanitary measures create an additional cost of at least 10%. To compensate the thousand companies participating in this project, currently representing nearly 4 billion in investment, the Société du Grand Paris has awarded compensation of 20 million euros, covering the losses linked to the six weeks of confinement. A drop on the overall budget of the Grand Paris Express, over 35 billion euros. But negotiations are continuing to assess the final bill for the health crisis.
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Containment, and the strict application of barrier measures, will inevitably have an impact on the project schedule. “Today, the 11 tunnel boring machines have restarted and 100% of the work has resumed. But with an activity of 50% to 70% compared to normal, indicates Bernard Cathelain, number 2 of the Société du Grand Paris. We had to reorganize everything. Delays depend on three factors. There is the actual shutdown, two to three months. Then, it depends on the pace of the restart, depending on the staff available and the implementation of the health protocol. And finally, the synchronization of the major projects between them, which will require reprogramming. ”
Is it possible to make up for part of the delay by speeding up certain operations? Unfortunately not ... "The tunnel boring machines are already digging a maximum, six days a week, with one day devoted to maintenance". Certainly, the first sections of the Grand Paris Express, huge and complex, are less and less likely to see the light of day before the 2024 Olympic Games.
