Business North September 2020

32 | Volume 19 | Issue 3 businessnorth DEVELOPMENT » Watercare Central Interceptor “This project allows us to step outside our core team and educate the next generation of engineers.” Massive Interceptor project creating a legacy • from page 28 • It will run underground from Western Springs, near the Auckland Zoo, to Water- care’s Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant. • Most work will occur underground. There will be 17 construction sites - three major sites and 14 others. • The project will include a tunnel between 15 and 110 metres underground and 4.5 metres in diameter. It will have several link sewers and shafts along the route for collecting and transferring wastewater into the tunnel. • Construction will include structures at the connection points such as access shafts, drop shafts, flow control structures, overflow structures, grit traps, air vents and air treatment facilities. CENTRAL INTERCEPTOR - QUICK FACTS This is essential, as at some places tunnelling will take place 110 metres underground. The Ghella Abergeldie Joint Venture brings over 150 years of international tunnelling expertise to the project. It has successfully completed numerous large projects around the world and offers extensive tun- nelling expertise and experience working on major water and wastewater projects. Francesco says that as the companies in the joint venture are family owned this has been a benefit to the Central Interceptor project. “Being family owned our focus is on people and establishing good lines of communication with clients and stakeholders. “This has built trust and proved a good founda- tion to solve any issues and challenges as they come up so we can find the right solutions.” Since March 2019 when the project contract was signed, good progress has been made with tunnelling on track to commence at the beginning of 2021. Francesco says a decision to move the manufacture of the tunnel boring machine from China to Germany due to Covid-19 has proved a good one and kept the project on schedule. Overseas procurement of items will be an on- going challenge depending on how the pandemic pans out but the joint venture partners are prepared and adaptive, he says. Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says the Central Inter- ceptor is one of region’s most significant infrastruc- ture projects. “The Central Interceptor is a huge and important investment in our city,” he says. “As well as increasing the capacity of our wastewater system to cater for population growth, it will help improve Auckland’s water quality and reduce wastewater overflows, leaving a legacy of clean, safe, healthy beaches for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.” Shayne says that the benefits to Aucklanders will be clear: significant improvement in stormwater and wastewater overflows with the end result being an improvement to the health of waterways. He says that it will also pave the way for future critical structure assessments and upgrades by providing capacity for temporary divergence when required. Shayne says forward thinking is important to keep up with Auckland’s growth pointing out that the Central Interceptor has been 10 years in the planning and will be six years in the making. He says building New Zealand’s largest wastewa- ter tunnel is a once in a lifetime project for the team, for Auckland and for New Zealand. “We’re excited that this project allows us to step outside our core team and educate the next genera- tion of engineers”. Watercare Central Interceptor director Shayne Cunis holding some five million year old shells that were discovered during digging of the Diaphragm wall at the main Mangere site.