South Australia’s largest ever infrastructure project has reached a critical milestone, with the official blessing and naming of the first of three large-scale tunnel boring machines (TBMs) destined to create a non-stop South Road.
The AU$15.4 billion project represents a historic undertaking, as it is the first road infrastructure development in Australia to operate three large-scale TBMs simultaneously.
Following a traditional maritime custom dating back to the 1500s where tunnelling equipment is given female names for good luck, the three machines will be named after pioneering South Australian suffragists.
Mary Lee, Catherine Helen Spence, and Elizabeth Webb Nicholls were prominent figures who led the historic advocacy campaign that saw South Australia become the first jurisdiction globally to allow women to both vote and stand for parliamentary election.
The first 100-metre-long machine, named ‘Mary’, was officially commissioned at its Clovelly Park launch box following a formal blessing by Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide Patrick O’Regan. Mary is now prepared to begin carving out a 4.5-kilometre southern tunnel moving north towards Anzac Highway.
The remaining two machines, ‘Catherine’ and ‘Elizabeth’, are scheduled to enter active service by the end of this year.
Once fully operational, all three TBMs will dig 24 hours a day, seven days a week, advancing approximately eight to 10 metres daily over a 24-month construction period.
State Premier Peter Malinauskas said: “For decades, completing a non-stop South Road has been talked about.
“The non-stop South Road project will allow motorists to bypass 21 sets of traffic lights between the River Torrens and Darlington, saving up to 40 minutes of travel time in peak hour traffic.”
Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King noted that the parallel operation of the TBMs demonstrates the productivity gains achieved through federal-state partnerships, which will support thousands of local jobs in southwest Adelaide.
State Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Joe Szakacs noted that it is fitting that the machines shaping the future of the state’s transport are named after three women who also shaped the state.
“Mary Lee, Catherine Helen Spence and Elizabeth Webb Nicholls were trailblazing South Australians who fought tirelessly for women’s rights, and it is fitting that the Tunnel Boring Machines helping shape our state’s future will bear their names,” Szakacs said.