In mid-2019, Edge Underground was subcontracted to help complete the Northwood Sewer Project in Townsville, partnering up with local contractor NQ Excavations. Edge Underground Managing Director Stuart Harrison says the team was called in to complete a range of different pipeline diameters that all needed to be installed on grade.
Setting new benchmarks
“We went about setting somewhat of a new benchmark in these diameters. The first part of the project we completed was about 180 m, comprising five separate lines of sewer pipeline. Three of the setups were 610 mm diameter bores and two were 510 mm,” says Mr Harrison.
The lines were unique since the pipe selected was not a structural pipe and rather a sewer max pipe, which isn’t known for being used in a jacking information. Mr Harrison says since the ground Edge Underground was working in was incredibly stable, he knew they could push the pipe through the bores without doing any structural damage and simultaneously save money.
The works were completed in six days, which is something that no one considered possible when Edge Underground commenced the works.
“However, some of the unique aspects of the way we do our work with the AXIS system gives us an opportunity to create some significant cost savings. That’s exactly what we did here,” says Mr Harrison.
Preparing the site in advance
A key factor that contributed to the quick completion of the works was the existing working relationship between Edge Underground and NQ Excavations, which ensured all site preparation works were completed in advance.
“The problem that we often have is that we’ll go to a job site and we’ll be starting to do our job, assuming the contractor is organised and they’ve got invert grades and lines, and shafts prepared in advance,” says Mr Harrision.
At the end of the day, Edge Underground need to have the next line ready to go and are often running quicker than the contractor can to prepare shafts, as the contractors may assume the borers are going to take a while.
Mr Harrison says this was not the case with NQ Excavations as the two companies had worked together numerous times so NQ Excavations knew what was required in advance as well as how promptly Edge Underground could put pipe in the ground.
This previous experience and understanding meant that NQ Excavations made sure the shafts and lines had been prepared in advance and the inverts and all critical information that Edge Underground would require was also available.
“It’s like working with any contractor, the first time we went up to Townsville there was learning and building contacts with NQ Excavations. But now they know what we need and we know how they like to run, which made us really efficient on this project,” says Mr Harrison.
From this success, Edge Underground believes it can make a few more records on the next part of the job especially if the site can continue to be prepared in advance.
For more information visit the Edge Underground website.
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