Giant borer milestone for multibillion-dollar T2D project
A giant boring machine, slated to measure as high as Thebarton Theatre, is being prepared for tunnel-cutting action in the $15.4 billion Torrens to Darlington project. See the pictures.
The first of three massive, Tunnel Boring Machine cutterheads is being lifted into place for the $15.4 billion River to Torrens Darlington (T2D) project.
Weighing 300 tonnes, the TBM cutterheads will be safely lowered into the 20-metre-deep Southern Precinct launch box at Clovelly Park.
About 120,000 cubic metres of material weighing more than 343,000 tonnes have already been excavated to form the TBM launch box, which measures 120 by 50 by 20 metres.
“This is a major milestone for the biggest infrastructure project in our state’s history,” Premier Peter Malinauskas said.
“The first of the three huge cutterheads being lowered into place today gives us a real sense of the monumental scale of this project to create a Non Stop South Road.
“Each of these massive Tunnel Boring Machines will be around 100 metres long with a diameter of 15 metres – the height of Thebarton Theatre or the goalposts at Adelaide Oval.”
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The first of the tunnel boring (TBM) cutterheads arrived at Port Adelaide in five pieces last October, with the largest and heaviest centre section weighing about 175 tonnes and measuring nine metres in diameter.
Once fully assembled, the TBM cutterhead measures roughly 15 metres in diameter and will support workers in extensive underground drilling work for the $15.4 billion River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) – the final section of the North-South Corridor project to be completed.
The cutterhead components were so large that they necessitated progressive road closures and required traffic lights to be temporarily removed when transferred to Clovelly Park’s Southern Precinct.
In total, three large-scale TBMs, each measuring more than 100 metres long, will be used to construct the twin 4.5 Southern Tunnels and twin 2.2 Northern Tunnels as part of the North-South Corridor.
The first and second TBMs are currently being assembled alongside each other at the Southern Precinct, while components for the third machine have now arrived in SA.
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New Infrastructure and Transport Minister Joe Szakacs said the lowering of the cutterhead “is one of the biggest milestones we’ve seen so far on this project, and it marks the moment tunnelling starts to become a reality”.
“Lifting the 300-tonne cutterhead into place is a monumental undertaking requiring careful planning and execution,” he said.
“The T2D Project is the largest infrastructure project in our state’s history and will complete a 78km non-stop, traffic light-free motorway between Gawler and Old Noarlunga.”
Jointly funded by the state and federal governments, the T2D project was originally budgeted for $9.9 billion under the former Marshall-Liberal government but ballooned to $15.4 billion when designs were revised in 2022.
It has required the demolition of 524 properties located in the suburbs of Clovelly Park, Edwardstown, Glandore, Kurralta Park and Ashford.
Once finished, the major route is scheduled for completion in 2031 and will save drivers 30 to 40 minutes when travelling between Hindmarsh and Darlington during peak hour.
According to the state and federal governments, the T2D will support around 5,500 jobs during its first year of construction, with 90 per cent of labour hours undertaken by South Australians.
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