en.Wedoany.com Reported - Since March 2024, the design and construction team for the North East Link road tunnel in Victoria, Australia, has installed a total of 4,454 culvert units on the project, averaging 150 units per week. The pouring work is now complete, and the delivery of culverts to the site will continue to coordinate with the ongoing excavation work of the tunnel boring machine (TBM).
Each culvert unit is 3.5 meters high and 4.1 meters wide, manufactured by Humes at its Echuca factory before being transported to the Watsonia installation site. A single unit weighs approximately 19 tonnes and will form a service tunnel beneath the roadway, providing access for maintenance vehicles and personnel after the road tunnel opens in 2028. The main portion of the North East Link road tunnel project is being delivered by the Spark consortium, comprising Webuild, CPB Contractors, GS Engineering & Construction, and China Construction Oceania. Their scope includes a 6.5-kilometer-long twin three-lane road tunnel, which upon completion will be Victoria's longest road tunnel.
The culvert installation is part of the preparatory work for TBM excavation. The service tunnel constructed by the culverts will run parallel to the main road tunnel, housing utilities and providing access for maintenance. During the TBM excavation, culvert installation proceeds concurrently with the segment lining assembly.
In addition, the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority announced that the tunnel boring machine for the northern section of the twin tunnels on the Suburban Rail Loop East project will be powered by the Indigenous-owned company Yurringa Energy. Yurringa Energy, Australia's only Indigenous-owned energy retailer, will supply 100% renewable energy to the machines excavating the 10km twin tunnels between Glen Waverley and Box Hill.
Daniel Briggs, Executive Chair of Yurringa Energy, stated: "Yurringa Energy is proudly Indigenous-owned. We are leaders in providing employment opportunities for Indigenous people within our company, but this can only be achieved through having profitable, financially sustainable Indigenous businesses. It is gratifying that Yurringa Energy was successful in a highly competitive tender process."
All tunnel boring machines and trains for the Suburban Rail Loop East will be powered by 100% renewable electricity, with all stations targeting a 5-Star Green Star rating. A TBM launch site has been completed in Burwood, with the Yurringa-powered machine scheduled for launch later this year, while excavation for a second launch site is underway in Clarinda.
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