Tunneling begins in Auckland for $69 million wastewater project
Watercare, New Zealand's largest water utility, has begun tunneling work to lay a new wastewater pipe as part of its Midtown Wastewater Diversion project.
Watercare's micro-tunnel boring machine (m-TBM) began boring a stretch under Auckland's Queen Street that will span nearly 2,000 ft (600 m).
David White, acting chief program delivery officer, noted the importance of the tunneling milestone, stating that project construction initially began in October last year. The 4-ft (1.2-m) diameter pipe will connect to the main sewer and capture wastewater flows from the city's center, White said.
White went on to explain that the tunnel-boring method was specifically chosen over trenching in order to minimize disruption to people and businesses in the area.
A pipe-jacking method of tunnelling will be used with hydraulic jacks braced against a shaft wall to push pipes through the ground, Watercare said in a news release.
Tunnelling is part of the first stage of the Midtown Wastewater Diversion project.
Stage two of works is in design and will involve laying new wastewater pipes from Vincent Street to Greys Avenue carpark. The work is due to be completed in 2027.
The project is part of Watercare's $8.2 billion ($13.8 billion NZD) infrastructure investment program to be delivered over the next decade.
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