Tunnelling has been completed on Australia’s Coffs Harbour Bypass.
Blasting crews have completed the 160m Roberts Hill Tunnel, the third and final tunnel on the project. The Ferrovial Gamuda JV removed half a million tonnes of rock using 280 tonnes of explosives across 570 controlled blasts.
Tunnelling was completed for the 320m Shephards Lane Tunnel earlier this year and the 410m Gatelys Road Tunnel last year.
With all three tunnels now broken through on the A$2.2bn (€1.23bn) project in New South Wales, work will shift to preparing them for traffic. This includes installing drainage systems and laying road pavement.
Before opening to traffic in late 2026, each tunnel will be fitted with mechanical, electrical, fire, safety and electronic signage.
Each tunnel will contain two traffic lanes plus a bicycle lane.
When complete, the bypass will allow motorists on the Pacific Highway to skip up to 12 sets of traffic lights, cutting 12 minutes off travel times, and will remove thousands of vehicles and trucks from Coffs Harbour’s CBD streets.
