The North East Link Program (NELP) has started the new year by commencing construction on the project’s launch box in Watsonia.
Construction on the launch box site in Watsonia is underway. When complete, it will be 40 metres (m) deep and 200 metres long to facilitate the tunnel boring machines (TBM).
Each machine will be 90 m long, with a diameter of 15.6 m and an approximate weight of 4000 tonnes.
The TBMs for the North East Link Program (NELP) are currently being manufactured, scheduled for arrival later this year.
A portion of the tunnels in Bulleen will be dug by five road headers – boom mounted cutting heads. Some of these are refurbished equipment from Melbourne’s metro tunnel project.
In June last year the NELP completed the relocation of the Yarra East Main Sewer, using two mini TBMs and smaller drills to cut a combined 3.3 kilometres of sewer lines and smaller sewer tunnels.
2.5 km of water pipes were also relocated in Yallambie.
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