The two 15.6m diameter Herrenknecht TBMs that will dig the 6.5km long North East Link road tunnels in Melbourne are a step closer to the start of boring. The TBM cutterheads have now been lowered into place at the launch shaft at Watsonia.
The TBMs will now be tested and commissioned before they start digging south towards Bulleen installing a tunnel lining made of almost 44,000 individual concrete segments manufactured locally in Benalla.
When fully assembled, the massive TBMs will be 90m long and more than 4000 tonnes – among the biggest in the southern hemisphere.
The TBMs will move at approximately 10m per day and up to 45m below ground.
Tunnelling will go well into 2026, ahead of the tunnels opening to traffic in 2028.
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 $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.
This massive program of works is being carefully planned so the projects can open in 2028 – bringing all the pieces of North East Link together.
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.
More Information | info@herrenknecht.com | +49 7824 3020
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