Microtunnelling works beneath the Northern Expressway in Adelaide’s north have been completed.
SA Water announced that a boring machine broke through at its retrieval pit on the other side of the road.
This will enable crews to eventually start trenching to continue the process of laying new pipes.
McConnell Dowell SRG Global Utilities Joint Venture (MCD-SRG JV), SA Water’s construction partner, performed the microtunnelling under the Northern Expressway as part of the utility’s recent water network capacity upgrades to support housing growth.
With the tunnel now carved out, crews are set to commence use of a pipe jacking machine to carefully push approximately 115 metres of new trunk water main through the tunnel.
It forms part of our second stage of water network upgrades enabling more homes to be built in Riverlea.
The work, while considered essential, involved the preservation of historic site which added to its complexity.
The retrieval pit was situated near the Petherton Road Pisé Cottage, a State Heritage Place dating back to the late 1850s.
“Protecting the heritage-listed structure was a key priority throughout our microtunnelling,” said SA Water in an online statement.
“Real-time monitoring systems were established with automated alerts notifying the project team if vibration levels approached the defined limits.
“Importantly, no vibration exceedances were recorded during the tunnelling, confirming the effectiveness of our crews’ construction methodology and monitoring controls in protecting the heritage-listed cottage.”
Read more about the commencement of the project and the specialised remotely-operated microtunnelling machine here.
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