Waterview Connection Tunnels Auckland: TBM Design and Tunnelling Experiences

The Waterview Connection Project represents one of the largest infrastructure developments in New Zealand. The project comprises twin-tube road tunnels that are built using a very large diameter tunnel boring machine (TBM). The tunnels impact a large number of existing buildings and utilities as they pass beneath residential property and public reserve. The tunnels also cross beneath the North Auckland Railway branch. Accordingly, exercising ground control to minimize settlements and adverse impacts to the community are of paramount importance. The tunnel project is built under high safety standards in an urban area and with shallow cover. The report addresses the TBM design and tunnelling aspects with experiences in large diameter TBM operation for the first of the twin-tube bores from the perspective of the machine manufacturer.

Introduction

For New Zealand’s largest road infrastructure project, the Waterview Connection in Auckland, one of the world’s largest TBMs successfully finished the excavation of the first of two tunnel tubes on September 29, 2014. Each bored tunnel has a length of about 2.4 km and an inner diameter of 13.1 m. Each will accommodate three lanes of traffic. The two tunnels are being excavated using one Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) Shield with a diameter of 14.41 m, customized to Auckland’s requirements and subsurface conditions.

Based on the project’s geotechnical risks and uncertainties with...

Related articles:

Issue 03/2011

Double Shield TBM for Indian Water Tunnel

Project Background Eastern areas of India’s Andhra Pradesh state receive only 20 cm of rainfall per year - an amount comparable to Africa’s Kalahari Desert. The Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Department...

more
Issue 01/2015

Waterview Connection: TBM Alice has started its second drive

The tunnel boring machine Alice – named after the main character of “Alice in Wonderland” – excavated the first 2.4 km long tunnel in just eleven months, with best performances of 126 m per week...

more
Issue 08/2011

Optimising Interfaces for Shield Drives in Sochi

Preparations are in full swing for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Apart from sports facilities and accommodation, an ultra-modern and efficient traffic infrastructure is also being built....

more
Issue 01/2018 Nepal

Nepal’s first TBM bores Tunnel for Irrigation & Hydroelectric Project

Nepal welcomed its first TBM ever in summer 2017: a 5.06 m diameter Double Shield machine for the Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP). The Robbins TBM underwent its factory acceptance...

more
Issue 05/2011

Palomino Project: First Double Shield TBM in the Dominican Republic

1 Island Pioneers The “Anacaona” Double Shield TBM (4.5 m diameter) (Fig. 1) started its work where Columbus’ first great voyage of discovery ended in 1492. On the Caribbean island of Hispaniola,...

more