INFRASTRUCTURE

TBMs being prepared for Australian road tunnel project

Assembly is underway on the first of the two massive tunnel boring machines (TBM) that will build the West Gate Tunnel, which will provide an alternative to the West Gate Bridge crossing the Maribyrnong River in the north–western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia.

 Work on the approach road to the West Gate Tunnel

Work on the approach road to the West Gate Tunnel

It will take around 75,000 working hours to assemble the TBM - named Bella - with up to 30 people per shift working around the clock.

The 15.6m diameter cutter head, one of the last pieces to be assembled, will be moved into place by a 500t gantry crane, one of the largest of its kind in Australia.

With major tunnelling works set to start this year, legislation will also be introduced into parliament that will provide the framework for the management of the road when it opens in 2022.

The legislation also enables the Government to finally deal with the issue of trucks on roads in the inner west by enshrining enforceable truck bans in law, removing 9000 trucks from these roads for good.