The Australian made the pledge at a special ceremony today to mark the first major milestone in the massive building project, the biggest seen in Britain since the end of World War Two. Powerlines which currently disfigure what will be the site of the 500-acre Olympic Park are being demolished and located in two tunnels underneath (pictured). Higgins was joined at the site by the Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, the Mayor Ken Livingstone, London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe and Jack Lemley, the chairman of the ODA.

 

The pledges Higgins made include ensuring the £250 million Olympic Stadium in Stratford, East London, is finished on time as well as planned developments to the capital’s transport routes such as an extension to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). Earlier this week a huge boring machine started tunnelling beneath the Thames to extend the Docklands Light Railway in time for Olympic shooting events at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich.

 

“We are going to be completed on time and I know the people of London and the UK are going to be very proud of what we have done,” said Higgins. “The first two or three years are the critical years to get things right. If you don’t make the right decisions then, then you have got problems. But we are going to be completed on time and I know the people of London and the UK are going to be very proud of what we have done.”

 

The drilling of the two shafts on the site has already reached a depth of 30 metres, enabling tunnelling to begin in just a few weeks. “This is the start of something big: the tunnelling work we are setting in motion today marks the first stage of the transformation of the Olympic Park to make it a home fit for the 2012 Games,” said Jowell.

 

“But this is about much more than 29 days of sport in the summer of 2012. This huge and impressive powerlines project shows our determination to leave a lasting legacy for generations to come, improving lives and changing the face of London for ever.”

 

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, said: “For decades many people have identified the Lower Lea Valley with large pylons and power lines and burying them underground unlocks this precious space enabling us to deliver a lasting legacy of thousands of new homes for Londoners, many of which will be affordable.

 

“It will also transform the landscape of East London for the enjoyment of local people and Londoners alike for generations to come."