Construction has officially commenced on a massive concrete manufacturing site at Waterloo Corner, set to produce over 55,000 tunnel-lining segments for the River Torrens to Darlington Project (T2D), aiming for a non-stop South Road.
The project is set to be the “largest and most complex infrastructure project in South Australian history.”
It will see South Road become traffic-light-free between the River Torrens and Darlington, completing 78km of non-stop road, and is estimated to save up to 40 minutes of travel time in peak hour traffic. Drivers will bypass 21 traffic lights via two tunnels linked by an open motorway. The projected cost for this project is $15.4 billion.
The base of the shed where the project’s precast concrete facility will operate is nearing completion, with the installation of the initial shed frames now completed. To fully establish the shed’s base, 16 concrete pours are necessary. The completed structure will measure 285 meters in length and 25 meters wide. It will host the machinery producing the concrete segments destined to form the walls of the T2D tunnels.
An on-site concrete batch plant will manage the immense task of producing 280,000 cubic metres of concrete required for these segments. This is roughly equal to the volume of 112 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Once ready, the segments will be transported to the Tunnel Boring Machine launch sites. There, they will be pivotal in constructing the tunnel sections of South Road.
At the operational peak of the facility, around 60 workers will be present on-site. Ballestrin is handling the concrete slab works, Ahrens is responsible for shed construction, and Karta, a local Aboriginal company, is managing earlier earthworks.
Regarding worker involvement in the T2D project, there is a commitment to ensuring that 90 percent of labour hours are contributed by South Australians, with a mandatory minimum of 6 percent Aboriginal employment.
The Federal Member for Spence, Matt Burnell said, “This is an incredible coup for the north, with local business and workers from our community playing a pivotal role in one of the state’s biggest infrastructure projects.”
“Once again, through crucial investment from the Albanese and Malinauskas Governments, nation-building infrastructure is being delivered along with jobs for South Australians,” Burnell continued.
The segment manufacturing is slated to begin in late 2025, with the installation of the first tunnel segment expected by mid-2026.
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