HDD, Microtunnelling, Pipe jacking, Tunnelling

Alice prepares for her first NZ winter

Alice was stopped earlier this month so steel fibre brushes associated with the installation of the tunnel lining for the Auckland Waterview Connection project could be replaced.

During that stage, Alice was 40 m below the surface and had already travelled 870 m, about a third of her 2.4 km journey to construct the first of the twin motorway tunnels that will connect Auckland’s Northwestern and Southwestern motorways.

“It made sense for Alice to take a breather now, replace the worn brushes that have done their job, and have the machine ready for the winter. The maintenance is complete and she’s restarted her underground journey,” said the NZ Transport Agency’s acting Highway Manager Steve Mutton.

Mr Mutton says the machine will construct up to 24 m of tunnel per day as she works her way towards the northern tunnel portal at Waterview.

“She is expected to arrive in late September and be turned around over the following three months, ready to start her return journey to Owairaka in early 2015,” he said.

During the maintenance on Alice work has continued to install a large culvert on the floor of the tunnel.

The “÷tunnel within the tunnel’ will run below the completed motorway and will carry cables for ventilation, communication, fire detection and lighting systems required to operate the tunnels after they open to traffic in early 2017.

The Waterview Connection project is being delivered by the Well-Connected Alliance which includes the Transport Agency, Fletcher Construction, McConnell Dowell, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Beca Infrastructure, Tonkin & Taylor and Japanese construction company Obayashi Corporation.

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