A confidential out of court settlement was finalised in Perth, Australia, last month, over the alleged damage to homes caused by the construction of the Northbridge tunnel.
The last ten out of 35 people, who live near the tunnel’s alignment, have accepted the settlement offered by the state government and the Baulderstone/Clough JV.
The families claimed that the dewatering works used during the tunnel’s construction caused subsidence and subsequent cracking in their homes.
Reports obtained by the families under the Freedom of Information Act, are said to show that the environmental management plan was not adhered to – that the prescribed monitoring of ground water levels was not properly followed.
However, the planning and infrastructure minister, Allannah MacTiernan, is reported as saying that there are still strongly held views as to whether or not the tunnel construction actually caused the damage to the homes.
The 1.6km long cover and cut Perth Freeway tunnel opened two months ahead of schedule and on budget. The contract value was US$120M. It forms part of a US$233.7M, 6.5km long highway through Perth.
