St Helena Tunnel
 St Helena tunnel on opening day (18 December 2015) | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ewingsdale, New South Wales, Australia |
| Status | Open |
| Route | Pacific Highway |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | 27 September 2012 |
| Constructed | Lend Lease |
| Opened | 18 December 2015 |
| Owner | Roads & Maritime Services |
| Traffic | Automotive (Cyclists and Pedestrians in side lane) |
| Character | Motorway |
| Technical | |
| Length | 434 metres (1,424 ft) |
| Number of lanes | Built for 3 lanes each direction, opened as 2 northbound & 3 southbound lanes |
| Operating speed | 110 km/h[1] |
| Tunnel clearance | 5.3 m |
| Width | 13.3 m |
| Grade | 2.2% |
The St Helena Tunnel is a twin-tube road tunnel under St Helena Hill in the locality of Ewingsdale, near Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia. The tunnel was built as part of the 17 km Tintenbar to Ewingsdale upgrade of the Pacific Highway, which involved a new alignment of the highway.
The tunnel was built to avoid the steep grades of St Helena Hill on the previous alignment of the highway, and the associated heavy truck noise and pollution. It is 434 m (1,424 ft) long and at its deepest point is 45 m below the 131 metre high ridge line. There are two tunnels, with the northbound tunnel accommodating two traffic lanes and the southbound three traffic lanes, due to the gradient of the highway at this point. There is also a bicycle/pedestrian lane in each tunnel. [2]
The cost of the Tintenbar-Ewingsdale upgrade project was $862 million, jointly funded by the New South Wales and Federal governments. It opened on 18th December 2015. The remaining tie in work at each end was completed in March 2016.[3]
Milestones
- January 2010 - Planning approval and construction funding for the Tintenbar to Ewingsdale project including the St Helena Tunnel.
- May 2010 - NSW Roads and Maritime Services called for expressions of interest for the construction of the upgrade
- December 2010 - three companies were invited to submit detailed tenders
- August 2011 - the contract was awarded to Lend Lease (previously Baulderstone).[1][4]
- 27 September 2012 - the shovel ceremony was held to commemorate the start of construction.
- 28 May 2013 - Blasting began on the twin tunnels.
- 24 January 2014 - Excavator broke through on the northbound tunnel[5]
- 26 February 2014 - Excavator broke through on the southbound tunnel
- December 2015 - Commissioning of tunnels began
- 18 December 2015 - The highway upgrade, including the twin tunnels, opened to traffic.
See also
References
- 1 2 "Pacific Highway Tintenbar to Ewingsdale Upgrade". RTA. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ↑ "Environmental Assessment Submissions Report" (PDF). RTA. May 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ↑ "Planning approval given for Tintenbar-Ewingsdale Pacific Highway upgrade". farnorthcoaster.com.au. 29 January 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ↑ "Another stage of Pacific Hwy duplication gets all clear". Australasian Transport News. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
- ↑ Rodney Stevens (2014-01-24). "Tunnel breakthrough a major milestone for highway upgrade". Northern Star. Northern Star Ltd. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
External links
Coordinates: 28°39′10″S 153°32′54″E / 28.6527°S 153.5482°E