Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

New Pipejacking Record Set On Auckland Watermain Project

Hunua 4 TBM breakthrough

A new pipejacking record has been set on Watercare’s Hunua 4 watermain project in Auckland today.

Amiria the tunnel-boring machine (TBM) broke through at Khyber Pass Rd, setting a record of 1216 metres for the longest single drive in the southern hemisphere by a TBM greater than 3 metres diameter.

Contractor McConnell Dowell broke its own pipejack record – for the Christchurch Ocean Outfall project in 2007 – by 345 metres.

McConnell Dowell project manager Richard Atkin says: “This record achievement demonstrates the skill and experience we have in our tunnelling teams, as well as our commitment to working through challenges and delivering for our client.”

There is just one more tunnelling drive to go in the final section of the watermain project, which will connect the Redoubt Rd and Khyber Pass reservoirs. At 1296m-long, this drive will break the record again.

Amiria was named by a child in Starship Hospital. It is the te reo Māori version of Amelia, which means hardworking.

“She’s certainly lived up to her name,” Atkin says. “In this tunnelling drive she bored through more than a kilometre of basalt rock, and curves with a radius of 750m, which placed pressure on the interjacking stations.”

Watercare project manager David Moore says: “The beauty of this part of the project is that we’ve built this huge piece of infrastructure and very few people even knew it was happening. We tunnelled from right next to the new Westfield Newmarket mall under New Zealand’s busiest road – the southern motorway – to Khyber Pass Rd without disturbing the public.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

The 60-tonne, closed-faced Herrenknecht machine bored at depths up to 30 metres below ground level.

Most of the 31-kilometre watermain has been laid with open trenching, but tunnelling was chosen for most of the final section between Market Rd and Khyber Pass to minimise disruption to a busy urban area.

The project, which caters for Auckland’s growing population and adds resilience to the water network, has been completed in 11 sections and will be finished next year.

NOTES:

  • About 25,000 tonnes (or 8500m3) of material was excavated during this record-breaking drive. That’s about the same as two and a half Eiffel Towers or 300 blue whales.
  • The Herrenknecht AVN 2500AB micro-tunnelling machine is controlled by an operator from a small pilot cabin above ground at the Broadway site.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.