This project was completed as a joint venture between the two distinct Pezzimenti companies – Pezzimenti Trenchless and Pezzimenti Tunnelbore.
The microtunnelling bore was undertaken as part of the Jasmine Street and Hawthorn Road Drainage Upgrade project, in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield South.
In February 2013, Pezzimenti Trenchless arrived on-site to complete a 160 m, 1,850 mm diameter bore. Pezzimenti Tunnelbore supplied all of the necessary equipment for the project. For this project, this consisted of an 1,850 mm diameter microtunnelling head, an 800 tonne jacking frame and a bucket elevator extraction system.
Trenchless Technology was required for this section of the Jasmine Street and Hawthorn Road Drainage Upgrade project due to the pipeline running parallel and then underneath tram lines. The route also ran underneath low overhead powerlines. Additionally, Hawthorn Road is a major thoroughfare that required traffic to be flowing at all times.
The bores were to be undertaken at a depth of 4 m underground in ground conditions of clayey sand and silty sands.
All of the equipment employed for the project was designed and manufactured by Pezzimenti Tunnelbore at the company’s premises in Ringwood.
When completing the bores, the team from Pezzimenti Trenchless opted to use 1,500 mm diameter Humes “÷J’ Series pipe.
Environmental and social benefits
By completing these works with microtunnelling technology, a number of environmental and social benefits were realised.
The reduced site footprint resulted in minimal disruption to traffic flows and local residents. By utilising Trenchless Technology, just one lane of traffic was closed to undertake the works.
Importantly, trams were also able to operate as normal, meaning there were no disruptions to public transport.
The technology used by the joint venture also meant that excavated spoil was able to be removed dry, making for a clean and efficient process.
Future outlook
The microtunnelling project was successfully completed in March 2013, on time and on budget.
The Pezzimenti Trenchless and Pezzimenti Tunnelbore joint venture was a success and the two companies will continue to tackle similar projects together in the future. 1009181.png