6th Anniversary of contract signing for Auckland’s Central Interceptor
Today marks a significant milestone, as we celebrate six years since we, together with our joint venture partner Ghella, signed the contract to deliver the Central Interceptor project for Watercare- a key infrastructure project designed to enhance Auckland’s wastewater capacity and support its growing population.
Since 2019, we have been working closely with Ghella to construct a super-sized tunnel, 4.5m internal diameter and as tall as a giraffe. Once completed, the tunnel will run 16.2km from Point Erin Park, Herne Bay to the Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant and will collect and transfer wastewater, reduce overflows and improve the health of local waterways.
A total of 17 above-ground construction sites have actively been working on the project across Auckland, and 19 shafts have been constructed, ranging from 13 to 78m deep. While the tunnelling aspects of the Central Interceptor have been a significant achievement, much of the project’s scope has involved the redirection of existing sewer transmission lines to the interceptor, and the construction of a large pump station and rising main inside the Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant. In total, there are 100 network sewer work packages to be completed to facilitate the works and provide temporary and future connections.
At Māngere, the team has built a new pump station, rising main and reconstructed the confluence chamber where the eastern, western and south-western interceptors converge before entering the plant via the primary screens building. Just last month, a milestone was celebrated with the ‘switching-on’ of the southern half of the 16.2-kilometre tunnel from May Road, Mount Roskill south to the Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Abergeldie General Manager, New Zealand, Alastair Blackler said “We’re incredibly proud of our achievements as part of the Ghella Abergeldie Joint Venture to deliver this key infrastructure project for the people of Auckland. We will continue to work closely with Watercare and Ghella to ensure this project is successfully delivered.”
Once completed, the tunnel will have the capacity to hold 299,000m3 of wastewater and stormwater, with completion is expected in 2026.