The North East Link project is underway in Victoria. Image: FiledIMAGE/stock.adobe.com
The North East Link project has reached a milestone after recent tunnelling began in Melbourne’s northeast.
The first tunnel boring machine started digging the 6.5-kilometre tunnel between Wastonia and Bulleen. According to the Victorian state government, the tunnel will remove 15,000 trucks from local roads and reduce travel times by more than 30 minutes.
“We’ve started building the longer 6.5-kilometre tunnels that the community asked for, which will get trucks off local roads, slash travel times, and create thousands of jobs,” Bundoora MP Colin Brooks said.
Materials from the tunnelling process, including direct and rock, will be re-used in the North East Link project and other projects, including the rehabilitation of Point Wilson quarry and Oricia’s former site in Deer Park.
More than 100 workers have undergone specialised training at the Victorian Tunnelling Centre at Holmesglen as part of the project.
According to the government release, the tunnels will be built using 100 per cent renewable energy. The two tunnel boring machines are expected to dig up to 15 metres per day and up to 45 metres underground.
The two tunnel boring machines will help install tunnel walls made up of concrete segments sourced locally from Benalla.
“The start of tunnelling on the North East Link is a major milestone on a project that will get thousands of trucks off local roads,” Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen said.
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