Work is under way to widen the river next to the 2012 aquatic centre
At the Olympics site preparation work is in progress for Zaha Hadid's aquatic centre. This includes widening the Waterworks river by 8m. The original dilapidated concrete walls of the river, built in the 1930s, are being removed and replaced by 700 steel piles weighing up to 11 tonnes each, driven 18m into the ground along 500m of riverbank.
Concrete on top of the piles will form the new edge to the river, which will eventually be a central feature of the park, with its riverbanks and walkways making a feature of a previously inaccessible stretch of water.
