The tunnel boring machine “÷Sandy’ broke through its last piece of earth on its first drive to create a tunnel between Monash University Peninsula Campus and Hastings Road.
The $A41 million project to build a new stormwater drain will help improve drainage in Frankston and protect the city from flooding.
Project Director Phil Corluka said “The first tunnel drive turned out to be challenging with the tunnel boring machine facing soft ground conditions on its 465 m journey.”
There are still another two tunnel drives to go to complete the 1.5 km pipeline which will end at Kananook Creek.
“÷Sandy’ will be lowered into the work shaft at Beauty Park to start the second tunnel drive to meet up with the first tunnel at Hastings Road. The third and final tunnel drive will be from Beauty Park to Kananook Creek.
A concrete stormwater pipe will be built into the 3 m tunnel that “÷Sandy’ will bore under the operation of Winslow Infrastructure.
The Frankston Drainage Improvement project is being constructed by the Pipelines Alliance, a partnership between Melbourne Water, Fulton Hogan, Jaydo, and GHD.
The project is expected to be completed in early 2011.