Waterview Tunnel Boring Machine

‘Alice’ arrived at Auckland Port in 97 separate parts and in 25 different containers. Nicknamed Alice after Alice in Wonderland, the S-764 tunnel boring machine needed to be transported to the Waterview Tunnel site, assembled, turned around, disassembled and transported once more before our work was done.

 

An incredibly complex job, we needed a 600 tonne crawler with a 300 tonne ballast and 400 tonnes of components. This main crane was a Demag CC2800 which had around 300 tonnes of Superlift. Along with the giant crawler we also needed a 280 tonne mobile crane to help it manoeuvre the TBM in the smallest of areas. As all of this took place along Great North Road, we always had a large media presence watching our every move!  Added to that, the high temperatures, no wind and tight spaces within the tunnel itself, meant working with Alice was always a challenge.

 

With up to 30 staff and seven machines on site at one time, my role as an Operations Manager required me to carefully manage the staffing situation. Achieving a workforce who operated with a high level of knowledge, consistency and availability was my top priority. Both local Auckland based staff as well as fly in fly out crane operators were used.

 

Timeframe wise it took over five months just to dismantle the TBM, which demonstrates the complexity of and project management skills needed for this job.