A major milestone has been marked in the delivery of the Albanese and Malinauskas Labor Government's $15.4 billion non-stop South Road, with assembly of the first of three Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) to begin.
The 15-metre wide cutterhead of the first TBM has already been pieced together and welding is now underway, a process expected to take up to eight weeks.
All remaining components for the first TBM have now arrived onboard the second shipment, which is the largest delivery so far.
The delivery includes the main drive for TBM #1 which weighs approximately 370 tonnes, making it the heaviest individual component that will be delivered. It also included the cutterhead and tailskin for TBM #2.
This shipment has been unloaded at the dock and will be gradually transported to the Project's Southern Precinct site in Clovelly Park.
Overnight, the centrepiece of the cutterhead for the second TBM travelled the 25km journey from Port Adelaide, along the Port River Expressway and down South Road to the Southern Precinct site.
There will continue to be regular transportation of parts over the coming days and nights, including overnight rolling road closures along South Road next weekend.
The TBMs will each undergo a six-month assembly and commissioning process on site, before tunnelling is expected to begin in the second half of 2026.
Each TBM will be approximately 100 metres in length and 15 metres in diameter – roughly the height of the goalposts at Adelaide Oval. When fully assembled each TBM will weigh approximately 3,500 tonnes.
Two TBMs will launch from the Southern Precinct at Clovelly Park and be used to construct the twin 4.5km Southern Tunnels.
The third TBM, which will launch from the Central North Precinct at Richmond to construct the twin 2.2km Northern Tunnels, is in the final stages of Factory Acceptance Testing in China.
Once given the green light, the third TBM will be dismantled and packed in the factory prior to being shipped to Adelaide.
The three TBMs being used on the T2D Project have been purchased from world-leading tunnelling manufacturer Herrenknecht. The T2D Project will be the only major road tunnel project in Australia to utilise three large diameter TBMs.
The procurement of three TBMs means both the Northern and Southern Tunnels can be constructed concurrently.
As put by Peter Malinauskas
After years of talk and debate, we are getting on with job of delivering the biggest infrastructure project in our state's history – the $15.4 billion non-stop South Road.
South Australians have waited a long time to see some action and now under the leadership of the Albanese and Malinauskas Labor Government's it's happening.
Every shipment and delivery bring us a step closer to tunnelling beginning in the second half of next year.
As put by Emily Bourke
To see the TBM components arriving and assembly about to begin makes the scale and significance of this project very real.
The first cutterhead has already begun being welded together and the remaining pieces will be transferred to the site over the coming days.
Each TBM will go through a rigorous six-month assembly and commissioning process.
Once they start digging, the TBMs will operate continuously 24-hours a day, seven days a week, progressing approximately 8 to 10 metres per day.
