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V&A Dundee construction hits major milestone

Alan Richardson V&A Dundee cofferdamAlan Richardson
The watertight enclosure has allowed part of V&A Dundee to be built into the River Tay

One of the final major construction milestones at Dundee's V&A museum is under way with the removal of its cofferdam.

The temporary cofferdam has enabled a section of the £80.1m museum to be built into the River Tay.

The structure, made from 12,500 tonnes of stone, allowed BAM Construction to reclaim ground and build an access road around the perimeter of the new museum.

Work to remove the cofferdam will take about three months.

A cofferdam allows water to be pumped out, creating a dry area for land reclamation work to proceed.

A section of V&A Dundee, which is due to open next summer, was also built on the reclaimed land.

V&A Dundee V&A Dundee cofferdamV&A Dundee
The three-month operation will remove 12,500 tonnes of stone

Construction of the cofferdam, one of the first pieces of work carried out on the new building, began in March 2015 and was completed at the end of May that year.

The thousands of tonnes of stone will be recycled and reused.

Malcolm Boyd, construction manager at BAM, said: "The cofferdam was built in the first few months of construction and was the first significant milestone in the building of V&A Dundee.

"The structure has allowed us to create this extraordinary museum not only on the very edge of the Dundee waterfront, but also partly in the River Tay.

"Today is another big moment for us and a sign that the museum building is nearing completion.

"There is still lots of work to do before we open the doors to the public next year but this is a good moment to reflect on just how far we have come."