Eilbeck Cranes’ 550-tonne gantry crane is set to lower the final piece of a TBM into the North East Link project’s launch box.
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According to the Victorian Government, the 137-tonne screw conveyor has officially arrived and, once landed in the launch box, will complete the assembly of the 4000-tonne, 90m-long TBM.
“From the ports in Melbourne to the suburbs in the north east, the final pieces of these massive machines are on site and ready for assembly ahead of tunnelling this year,” said Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Catherine King.
“Not only is this incredible infrastructure project employing thousands during construction, it will leave a lasting legacy for road users and for Victoria well into the future.”
Once their installation is completed, the two TBMs will begin their 6.5km journey by tunnelling toward Bulleen, closely followed by workers installing tunnel walls made of nearly 44,000 individual concrete segments.
More than 100 tunnel workers are currently undergoing intensive training to work up to 45m below ground level, with a hyperbaric facility currently being installed on site so workers can prepare to work under a compressed air environment.
Eilbeck Cranes has been operating as a family business since 1907, consistently specialising in devising innovative engineering solutions, with Eilbeck Cranes’ custom gantry cranes playing a pivotal role across Australian infrastructure projects since its inception.
The $26.1 billion North East Link project is being delivered by the Spark Consortium, made up of Pacific Partnerships, Ventia, WeBuild, GS Engineering and Construction, China Construction Oceania, Capella Capital, John Laing and DIF, and CPB Contractors, on behalf of the Victorian Government. The project is set to cut travel times by 35 minutes and take up to 15,000 trucks off local roads.