May 17, 2005

First of two tunnels completed in Browns Bay

An underground tunnelling machine has finished installing the first of two new enlarged trunk sewers in Browns Bay, as part of North Shore City Council's Project CARE.

The machine recently broke through to its receiving pit on the access to the Bayview Rd boat ramp.

For the past five months the machine has been working its way northwards beneath the beach front reserve from a main jacking pit at the intersection of Beach Front Lane and Anzac Rd.

North Shore City wastewater projects manager, Dave Woods, says the $12m project is a key part of the Project CARE programme to reduce sewage overflows onto North Shore City's beaches. "These new 2.1m diameter sewers will provide for increased dry weather flows from expected future growth and also have the capacity to provide temporary storage during wet weather," he says.

Underground tunnelling was chosen to cause minimal disruption to the community and the environment, he says.

The council is working in association with contractor Works Harker Joint Venture and engineers Sinclair Knight Merz - Opus.

Once the new sewers are connected to the existing wastewater network, the boat ramp access and beach front reserve will be restored to their former condition.

Meanwhile the tunnelling machine will be returned to the main jacking pit, where it will shortly begin installing the second of the two large sewers by tunnelling beneath Anzac Rd to Glencoe Rd.

This will mean some changes to the layout of Anzac Rd while the work is being carried out. However two-way traffic and access to all properties along the road will be maintained at all times.

ENDS

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