By lyndamyer
As the largest breakthrough ever to occur in the Southern Hemisphere, TBM Vida has completed digging on Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel project.
The date of commissioning this TBM was May 2022, while it has excavated a 2.8km inbound tunnel that stretches from the west side of the Maribyrnong River under Yarraville, finishing at Williamstown Road near the West Gate Freeway.
Removing over 1 million tons of rock and soil, this tunneling process also involved the installation of more than 10,000 concrete segments.
Additionally, TBM Bella, which is the project’s other machine, was launched in March of the previous year, whereas it has completed 84% of the 4km outbound beneath Melbourne’s western suburbs.
Being manufactured by Herrenknecht AG company, these TBMs are 90m-long and 15.6m diameter and also the largest machines in the Southern Hemisphere, which’s the maximum depth for working is up to 27m below the city.
In order to dismantle and remove TBM Vida with the help of a 500T gantry crane, three months will be required, while the parts are due to be either recycled or returned to Herrenknecht AG for reuse.
The purpose of the West Gate Tunnel will be to provide a second river crossing and an alternative to the West Gate Bridge following its completion in 2025. It will remove more than 9,000 lorries from residential streets.
