The official blessing of the first of three large-scale tunnel boring machines (TBMs) specially designed to deliver South Road has taken place in Adelaide.
In another key step for the $15.4 billion project jointly funded by the Federal and South Australian Governments, each of the three TBMs will be named after a South Australian suffragist.
Mary Lee, Catherine Helen Spence and Elizabeth Webb Nicholls were three of the prominent voices leading the campaign that saw South Australia become the first place in the world to allow women to both vote and stand for election.
Having now been blessed and named ‘Mary’, the first TBM is now officially commissioned and ready to begin the immense task of carving out a 4.5 kilometre tunnel north from its Clovelly Park launch box towards Anzac Highway.
It can now be revealed that the second TBM ‘Catherine’, and third ‘Elizabeth’ will all be in action by the end of this year.
Names for the TBMs were selected following an overwhelming community response to a request for submissions.
More than 2,000 were received, many of which nominated women whose advocacy helped cement South Australia’s place as a global leader in women’s rights.
Fittingly, more than a century after Mary Lee and Catherine Helen Spence worked side-by-side to help break new ground in South Australia’s growing suffrage movement, the TBMs named in their honour will now work side-by-side to construct the southern tunnels.
Just like the custom of giving ships female names, TBMs are also named after women as a sign of good luck.
The tradition dates to the 1500s, when workers prayed to St Barbara, the patron saint of miners and tunnellers, for protection underground.
Continuing a longstanding custom observed on tunnelling projects around the world, Mary’s blessing was performed by a Catholic Archbishop, in this case the Archbishop of Adelaide Patrick O’Regan.
Tunnelling for the entire project will take up to 24 months. All three TBMs will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, progressing approximately 8-10 metres per day.
The non-stop South Road project will allow motorists to bypass 21 sets of traffic lights between the River Torrens and Darlington, saving up to 40 minutes of travel time in peak hour traffic.
“Mary Lee, Catherine Helen Spence and Elizabeth Webb Nicholls were pioneering suffragists whose advocacy helped position South Australia as a world leader in reform and representation, and it’s only fitting their names will now help lead one of the most significant infrastructure projects in our State’s history,” said SA Premier Peter Malinauskas.
“The impact of these trailblazing women extends far beyond the history books; it helped drive real lasting change in South Australia and it’s only fitting their legacy will now be honoured through a project helping shape the State for future generations.”
It’s the first road project in Australia to operate three large-scale TBMs at the same time according to Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King.
“The naming of the three large-scale TBMs in honour of three trailblazing South Australian suffragists is fitting for this historic undertaking,” she said.
“This demonstrates exactly what can be achieved when the Australian and South Australian governments work in partnership to drive real progress, support thousands of local jobs and boost productivity across southwest Adelaide.”
.jpg)
