Australia’s Largest Tunnel Boring Machine Is Launched
The first of two giant tunnel boring machines (TBMs) built to tunnel the Brisbane Airport Link project began operating on 21 July. The $45 million massive machines, named Rocksy and Sandy, are 195 meters (640 ft) in length, each weighing a massive 3,600 tons. Rocksy will begin operating first, excavating the eastbound tunnel, with Sandy scheduled to start in August in the westbound tunnel. Rocksy’s excavation is expected to take 12 months.
“The scale of these machines is just incredible. They are the largest of their type ever to operate in Australia, and they are working on the largest road tunnel project in our history,” said Premier Anna Bligh of Queensland, while inspecting the machines.
The TBMs will excavate 2.5 km (1.55 mi) of the twin 5.1 km (3.17 mi) mainline tunnels for the Airport Link project. Each TBM will require up to 22 workers during each shift to operate the machine. The project is now expected to create 12,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The Airport Link project is being constructed together with the Northern Busway (Windsor to Kedron), and the Airport Roundabout Upgrade project. The combined Airport Link projects are the biggest infrastructure construction underway in Australia.
When it opens in mid 2012, Airport Link will be the first major motorway connecting the city of Brisbane with the airport and northern suburbs, avoiding up to 18 sets of traffic lights. It will improve travel times in a city currently experiencing the worst peak hour traffic in the country.
Jacobs Associates was contracted by Parsons Brinckerhoff-Arup Joint Venture to help design the initial tunnel support and final lining for the Airport Link project and the Northern Busway. The project is being delivered by BrisConnections under a public-private partnership - , Theiss John Holland Joint Venture has been contracted to design and construct the project.
