A second 15.6m diameter Herrenknecht TBM has started its 6.5km long tunnelled journey from Watsonia to Bulleen, digging the twin North East Link tunnels that will complete the missing link in Melbourne’s freeway network.
TBM Gillian – named after local pioneering neonatal paediatrician Dr. Gillian Opie – is following TBM Zelda which launched in August and has already progressed over 200m. The machines will be driven by the Spark Consortium, which was awarded the contract to deliver the North East Link Tunnels towards the end of 2021. The consortium comprises WeBuild, CPB Contractors, GS Engineering and Construction, China Construction Oceania, Ventia, Capella Capital, John Laing, DIF and Pacific Partnerships.
The two TBMs will dig approximately 10m per day and up to 45m underground as they help build the tunnels that will pass traffic under instead of through local suburbs.
The tunnels will be built using 100% renewable electricity, and dirt and rock from the tunnels will be re-used across North East Link and other transport sites where possible.
As they dig the tunnels, the TBMs will install approximately 44,000 individual concrete segments made locally in Benalla.
As the TBMs continue their journey from Watsonia, more tunnelling has started between Manningham Road and Trinity Grammar, with five road headers starting to dig a southern section of the North East Link tunnels.
As works forge ahead, minor levels of vibration may be experienced in areas very close to mined tunnelling activity, which will be closely monitored and managed to ensure minimal disruption.
Tunnelling across the project will continue until 2026, with North East Link expected to open to traffic in 2028. The project is funded in a joint partnership by the Australian and Victorian governments, and will fix the missing link in Melbourne’s road network, taking 15,000 trucks off local roads every day and cutting travel times by 35 minutes.
The $11.1bn North East Link’s twin 3-lane road tunnels will connect the M80 Ring Road to the Eastern Freeway. At 6.5km long – twice the length of the Burnley tunnel – they’re set to be the longest road tunnels in Victoria.
North East Link is the biggest ever investment in Melbourne’s north east – changing the way people move around Melbourne.
Herrenknecht
Pioneering Underground Technologies - Herrenknecht AG is the technology and market leader in mechanized tunnelling. As the only company worldwide, Herrenknecht delivers cutting-edge tunnel boring machines for all ground conditions and in all diameters - ranging from 0.10 to 19 meters.
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