The tricky ground conditions and the presence of Melbourne’s infamous Coode Island Silt required a specialised team in order to complete the project, with renowned engineering specialists, Thiess, at the helm.
With the area’s high volume of traffic and limited time in which to complete the project, HOBAS was selected as the product of choice to deliver the trenchless piping component of the sewer upgrade.
Thiess Services Project Manager Dean Larrassey said he had worked with HOBAS pipe numerous times overseas so knew the product could stand up to the challenges of the project.
“I had worked on various projects in Europe where HOBAS was very widely known, and HOBAS regularly exceeded the project requirements.
“Because of the high volume of traffic experienced along Lorimer Street, we knew jacking was the way to go, so we used a micro-boring machine to jack approximately 500 m of HOBAS pipe through the infamously difficult Coode
Island Silt.
“The HOBAS pipe was easy to install in that it performed exceptionally well in the less than favourable ground conditions and we were able to complete the project right
on schedule.
“Further to the actual product’s performance, we were very happy with the hands-on expertise we received from our HOBAS supplier, Global Pipe – their team was attentive, helpful and they went over and above our expectations in terms of on the ground support,” he said.
Andy Holman, executive director of Global Pipe Australia, said HOBAS CC-GRP jacking pipe is regularly selected to complete notoriously difficult projects due to its well established behaviour in pipe jacking and its very long
asset life.
“HOBAS has been used internationally for over 30 years and is now the product of choice among Europe’s largest engineering companies.
“The HOBAS centrifugal cast pipe uses patented technology to provide the most efficient, long-lasting and highest quality CC-GRP pipe currently in the world.
“The design has a 100+ year life span which means it can typically outperform old-world products such as concrete or steel in corrosive environments such as sewer systems,” he said.