A new Australian-first high-tech facility that will fabricate the new Western Harbour Tunnel and create around 700 quality manufacturing jobs in Western Sydney has been opened today by the NSW Government.
The new, purpose-built facility at Emu Plains will precast individual concrete segments and culverts. They will then be put in place by the two largest tunnel boring machines (TBMs) in the Southern Hemisphere as they excavate under Sydney Harbour.
The walls, roof and floor of the huge tunnel, which is the size of three Metro tunnels, will be fitted together from thousands of concrete pieces made by skilled local workers and fitted together like a giant precision-cut jigsaw.
“This is a city shaping project which is literally being manufactured piece by piece in Western Sydney,” said NSW Premier, Chris Minns.
“We know that Sydney is growing, and we are working hard to address the housing crisis and bring Sydney’s CBD back to life – the fact is we can’t do any of that if we don’t have the roads we need to get people safely and quickly from A to B.
“Today’s announcement is a big milestone in our work to deliver this major project. At the same time this will provide a massive boost for our states manufacturing capability, bringing more jobs and opportunity to Western Sydney.”
More than 13,000 concrete segments and nearly 1,400 culverts will be custom built in the state-of-the-art facility in Emu Plains, before being transported to the tunnels via the M4 and WestConnex.
The Emu Plains site is expected to operate for up to three years for the project and has the potential to be used by other projects or businesses in future, making it a lasting legacy of the tunnel project.
“Delivering a project of this scale requires specialised manufacturing and state-of-the-art technology. We’re investing in smart, modern manufacturing right here in Emu Plains to lift our capabilities,” said Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Acting Minister for Western Sydney, Courtney Houssos.
“This project is another example of how our Minns Labor Government is spending our government procurement dollars to create more well-paid, highly skilled jobs right here in NSW.
“We’re backing Western Sydney workers by providing them the tools, opportunities and facilities to deliver this critical piece of infrastructure, right at their doorstep.”
The tunnel boring machines are expected to arrive in Sydney later this year, before being assembled deep underground below Birchgrove. They will tunnel 1.5km from Birchgrove to Waverton, under the Sydney Harbour seabed, connecting the northern and southern ends of the project.
“It’s exciting to see this facility open for business today and ready to build Sydney’s second harbour tunnel with local talent and world’s best technology,” said Minister for Roads and Regional Transport, Jenny Aitchison.
“We are proud of the work to encourage more women into construction through this new facility.
“The Western Harbour Tunnel is one of 23 Government pilot projects trialing increased targets of for women in trade and introducing a new target of 7% for non-traditional roles.”
The 6.5 kilometre tunnel will connect the Warringah Freeway in North Sydney to the WestConnex M4 and M8 at Rozelle Interchange, helping drivers bypass the CBD and making it easier, faster and safer to get around Sydney.
As the Government continues to champion women’s economic opportunities, particularly in historically male dominated industries, of the 700 jobs created at this facility there will be a target of 50% women.
You can find more details on the project here.
