No state wants to be boring, but in this case we’ll make an exception.
The first of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) components – a vital part of South Australia’s biggest infrastructure project – have arrived in Adelaide.
The shipment includes a massive TBM cutterhead delivered in five pieces, with the largest and heaviest centre section weighing around 175 tonnes and measuring 9m in diameter.
Once assembled it is approximately 15m in diameter – roughly the height of the AFL goalposts at the Adelaide Oval.
And in good news for people who find boring machines exciting and are hoping to catch a sneak peek, the components will be transported on Saturday night (October 25) from Port Adelaide to the River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project Southern Precinct in Clovelly Park. Progressive road closures will be required during this operation.
They will then be reassembled and commissioned ahead of tunnelling works starting in the second half of 2026.
In total, three large-scale TBMs, each more than 100m long, will be used to construct the twin 4.5km Southern Tunnels and twin 2.2km Northern Tunnels, as part of the $15.4 billion build.
Two TBMs will launch from the project’s Southern Precinct in Clovelly Park, while the third is set to launch from the Central North Precinct at Richmond, making the T2D Project the first in Australia to have three TBMs operating at the same time.
Once complete, the T2D Project will create a non-stop South Road, allowing motorists to bypass 21 sets of traffic lights and cut travel times by up to 40 minutes in peak traffic.
The project is jointly funded by the Australian and South Australian governments and is expected to support around 5500 jobs per year during construction, with 90 per cent of labour hours undertaken by South Australians.
Visit the website to find out more about the project.
