TBM Gillian – named after local pioneering neonatal paediatrician Dr Gillian Opie – is following TBM Zelda which launched in August and has already progressed over 200m. The two TBMs will dig approximately 10m per day and up to 45m underground as they help build the tunnels that will pass traffic under instead of through local suburbs.
The two Herrenknecht TBMs will install approximately 44,000 concrete segments along the 6.5km-long tunnels. They are among the biggest TBMs used in the southern hemisphere. Each has a 15.6m diameter, is 90m long and weighs more than 4,000 tonnes.
The tunnels will be built using 100% renewable electricity, and soil and rock from the tunnels will be reused across North East Link and other transport sites where possible.
As the TBMs continue their journey from Watsonia to Bulleen, more tunnelling has started between Manningham Road and Trinity Grammar, with five road headers digging a southern section of the North East Link tunnels. Some of the road headers have been refurbished after working on the Metro Tunnel.
Tunnelling across the project will continue until 2026 and the North East Link is expected to open to traffic in 2028. The twin three-lane tunnels will connect the M80 Ring Road to the Eastern Freeway and will be the longest road tunnels in Victoria.
Spark consortium, comprising Webuild, GS Engineering and Construction, CPB Contractors, China Construction Oceania, Ventia, Capella Capital, John Laing Investments, DIF and Pacific Partnerships, was awarded the contract to build, operate and maintain the tunnels and key interchanges.
