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McConnell Dowell sets another record

McConnell Dowell said its AVN2500 MTBM has once again set a new pipe-jacking record for the longest single drive in the southern hemisphere by a TBM greater than 2.6 m in diameter.

The project recorded 1,216 m upon completion of the second drive for its pipeline earlier in the year, before breaking that marker with a 1,296 m drive on 20 November 2020.

Hunua 4, Section 11 Project Manager Richard Atkin said he could not have asked for a more experience tunnelling team to successfully navigate through Auckland’s challenging volcanic fields, which comprise of hard basalt up to 160 MPa.

“To gain another record for this project after 18 months of tunnelling, across three individual drives, has put the team in good spirits as we near the finish line,” said Mr Atkin.

The record is a hard-earned achievement while the team delivers the 3.5 km watermain upgrade for Watercare.

The project’s record-breaking drive consisted mostly of basalt rock and tough clay ground condition, which the crew worked through to complete the final drive in less than three months.

McConnell Dowell Tunnelling and Underground Group Technical Director Justin Shepherd has praised the project efforts.

“McConnell Dowell challenges both the norm and ourselves by thinking creatively, engaging our multi-discipline specialists, embracing new technology, and driving continuous improvement through our teams and projects,” said Mr Shepherd.

“This project, which we believe to be the longest large diameter pipe-jacked drive through ‘continuous hard-rock conditions’ in the world, exemplifies McConnell Dowell’s approach to successfully delivering award-winning, and record-breaking, tunnelling and underground work.”

The next step for the project team is the installation of the 1,575 mm diameter concrete-lined steel watermain pipes inside the tunnel, planned for early 2021.

For more information visit the McConnell Dowell website.

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