By Ashley Karen
Nearly 65 years after the original Hobsons Bay main sewer was constructed for carrying over 30% of Melbourne’s wastewater to the Western Treatment Plant (WTP), tunneling work to create Melbourne’s newest sewer pipeline has started, with TBM Lucey.
Students at the nearby Spotswood Primary School have named the tunnel boring machine Lucey, after Lucey Alford, the first female bacteriologist, and scientist employed by the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works – now known as Melbourne Water.
The new 670 m Hobsons Bay primary sewer will extend from Westgate Park in Port Melbourne to Science Works in Spotswood, beneath the Yarra River.
The EUR122.41 million (AUD206 million) Melbourne Water-funded critical sewage infrastructure project enables sewage to continue to flow to its Western Treatment Plant while the current sewer – which is advancing the end of its service life – has to be boosted.
The Hobsons Bay central sewer project forms part of a broader Melbourne Water Capital infrastructure program that will improve the reliability of Melbourne’s sewerage network and services. Melbourne is expected to almost double in population by 2050, and this project secures the city’s infrastructure is keeping up with future demand.
The Hobsons Bay central sewer pipeline, which intends to acquire a net zero carbon footprint, will be located at depths between 24.5 m and 27 m beneath the surface of the Yarra, will be set alongside its current twin, and will deliver a considerable increase in sewer capacity.
This project is a joint initiative provided by the Victorian Government, John Holland, Melbourne Water, and Museums Victoria. Melbourne Water awarded the contract to John Holland Group on November 2021. The project team has established two construction sites at science works and Westgate Park since February 2022. Diaphragm walls and piling for shaft construction are complete now, and the main works are continuing.
The project is scheduled for completion in mid-2024.
For a video of the project Click here.
