Sandvik has been contracted to provide 13 out of the 19 roadheaders required for Sydney’s NorthConnex project.
The project, which commenced early work activities in February this year, involves the construction of twin 9km tunnels linking the M1 and M2 motorways.
Sandvik will supply six MT720 units, one MT620 and six MT520s from its range to help create the project’s tunnels.
A Sandvik press release stated that mechanical cutting using roadheaders was identified as the most suitable excavation method for the project “due to the large number of different tunnel profiles (intersections, ramps, shafts) in the project scope, and the accurate excavation profile required”.
“The roadheaders chosen for the project have been designed to excavate roadways, tunnels and underground chambers continuously without using explosives that cause harmful vibrations,” the press release explained.
As previously reported by Quarry, Hornsby Shire Council, the New South Wales Government and the Federal Government agreed in March this year to contribute $22 million in funding to transport clean, excavated material from NorthConnex to partially fill Hornsby Quarry, which has been inactive and closed to the public for more than a decade.
Approximately one million m3 of spoil from the tunnelling project will be used to raise the floor of the quarry to make it safe for public access. This will be supplemented by an equal amount of spoil that will be generated on-site to form the pit and prepare it for redevelopment as a community recreational space.
The NorthConnex project is expected to begin construction in mid-2015.
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