Tunnelling for the NorthConnex, Australia’s longest and deepest road tunnel, is now complete.
NSW Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance, said tunnelling started back in mid-2016 when the project’s first road header entered the ground at West Pennant Hills.
“Fast forward two years, 14 breakthroughs, 2.4 million cubic metres of spoil and the twin nine-kilometre tunnels are ready to be paved,” Mr Constance said.
Federal Member for Berowra Julian Leeser said the project has been an enormous one.
“Around 2,550,000 cubic metres of spoil has been excavated across all sites almost 300,000 cubic metres of shotcrete and concrete has been poured,” Mr Leeser said.
Federal Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population, Alan Tudge, said the $3 billion project would transform NSW, and boost the national and NSW economies.
“NorthConnex will bust congestion and provide more reliable and efficient journeys for freight,” Mr Tudge said.
NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said the NSW Government was investing record amounts in public transport projects and is delivering vital missing motorway links.
“For too long the clogged Pennant Hills Road has been a headache for locals and a bottleneck for trucks delivering goods around our State,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“NorthConnex will remove 5,000 trucks a day from Pennant Hills Road, bypass 21 sets of traffic lights and save drivers up to 15 minutes in travel time.”
A total of 9 roadheaders and one surface miner remain on site and over 900,000 cubic metres of spoil has been delivered to Hornsby Quarry. The average daily peak workforce is up to 1,700 workers on site, while 11,500 people have been inducted to the project; it is estimated 15,000 in total will be inducted. A total of $16 million has been spent to date with Indigenous businesses and 182 apprentices have completed Certificate III Civil Construction through the NCXHub.
