Aroha, the Corban Reserve Stormwater Upgrade Project’s micro-tunnel boring machine (mTBM), has steadily begun her tunnelling journey in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland).
The name, meaning love and affection, was chosen by the pupils of Henderson South School after site engineers Tom and Sarup talked to them about the project and suggested they help come up with a name for our mTBM.
Aroha is expected to complete her 685-metre tunnelling journey before Christmas, and within that three-month period, 235 precast pipes will be laid using pipe-jacking methods from Border Road Reserve to 18 Imperial Place. The team are busy at the Imperial Place site preparing the inlet shaft to receive the mTBM at the end of its journey. While tunnelling is underway, a separate civil construction team are re-scaping Murillo Reserve, extending the children’s play facilities and installing boardwalks for the local community.
Once the project is completed in mid-2023, the new pipeline will reduce flooding in the area, increase capacity within the network to allow for future growth, and protect and enhance both Opanuku and Upper Waitaro streams. It will also prevent landfill gases and leachate entering the stormwater network, making it safer to maintain.
