NEWS IN BRIEF
Auckland, New Zealand.
Works on hold for Auckland supercity COVID-19 restrictions have put the breaks on two of Auckland’s major infrastructure development projects – the City Rail Link and the Central Interceptor. Watercare commenced works on the Central Interceptor project in Māngere in July, with the 14.7 km sewer tunnel to run from Grey Lynn to the Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant and expected to be completed in 2025. Once completed, it will be the longest bored wastewater tunnel in New Zealand. According to the Executive Program Director Shayne Cunis, the project came to a halt in late August due to recent COVID-19 outbreak. Mr Cunis says that under the public health response legislation, basic operations were still permitted, but expects the project’s operations to be able to return to “normal” when Auckland shifts to alert level 3. Greater onsite restrictions for staff will still be in place after the alert level is downgraded, with workers having to maintain social distancing and onsite “bubbles”. He says the latest lockdown will affect the time it takes to complete the project, but he remains confident it can still be delivered on budget. Across town, developments on the $4.4 billion City Rail Link have also been stalled. A spokesperson from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) says they are unable to confirm what operations will look like for the CRL and Central Interceptor projects under level 3 restrictions.
Third TBM joins METRONET project ‘Jana’ will be operated by tunnelling specialist Rob Carr with works expected to take place through September. Western Australia Minister for Transport, Planning and Ports Rita Saffioti announced the arrival of tunnel boring machine (TBM) ‘Jana’ on the METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn Link Project in August. TBMs ‘Grace’ and ‘Sandy’ have already been busy at work constructing the Airport Line underground. Jana will be used to drill twin 100 m tunnels under the freight rail corridor near Ranford Road Bridge, which falls under the Thornlie-Cockburn Link project as part of the METRONET project. The machine will be operated by tunnel-boring expert Rob Carr, with work expected to take place through August and September. The TBM is 3.5 m long and weighs 27 t, and was named after 13-year-old Coogee resident Jana Edmondson. Ms Edmondson has cerebral palsy, and according to her father Paul, her favourite activity is riding the train to Perth and interacting with the other passengers. Jana was one name selected out of more than 1,300 entries. TBMs are traditionally given female names for good luck in honour of the patron saint of underground workers, Saint Barbara, who is believed to bring success to the project. METRONET was a key election promise from the newly-reelected McGowan Labor government. It includes 72 km of new passenger rail and up to 18 new stations, encompassing a rail link from the Perth airport to Forrestfield in the southeast and an extension to Yanchep in the north, among other projects. The $1.86 billion project is expected to be operational in the first half of 2022. 16 TRENCHLESS AUSTRALASIA SEPTEMBER 2021
Water security package includes pipeline upgrades McGowan Government has announced it has secured $20 million in Commonwealth funding towards a package to improve regional water security. The projects will support farmers in dealing with the consequences of climate change and reduced rainfall. The funding is delivered through the Commonwealth’s National Water Grid Fund Connections pathway and will go towards the $43.8 million package for the state. The McGowan Government said it had advocated for WA farmers for close to 12 months to secure this funding. The projects that will be delivered under the package will include desalination projects, dam catchment improvements, and infrastructure and pipeline upgrades to increase water storage capacity. Pipeline improvements will be included in the $16.5 million budget for Water Corporation projects, taking place between Katanning and Kojonup. Collectively, these benefits will increase water security and help restore resilience in the farming communities. “I’m very pleased to see that the McGowan Government’s lobbying efforts have been successful in securing this $20 million in Commonwealth funding for WA farmers,” says WA Water Minister Dave Kelly. “By funding these projects, we will increase the water storage capacity of many WA agricultural communities and provide more reliable emergency agricultural and livestock water supplies for farmers to use during periods of dry conditions when on-farm supplies have been depleted.”
