Tunnel work goes on despite cave-in: [8 NSW Metro Edition]
Ean Higgins, Jonathan Porter, Additional reporting: Annabelle McDonald, John Stapleton, Anthony Klan. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 03 Nov 2005: 7.
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Engineers and private road experts told The Australian that the cave-in, which created a 20m deep hole endangering two apartment blocks, reflected the financial pressures facing the privately funded project in the city's lower north shore area.
The contractors hired to build the tunnel, Thiess John Holland, were last night desperately trying to shore up the foundations of thetwo apartment blocks, which cracked about 2.30am when the area around a tunnel ventilation shaft fell in.
A leading roads construction consultant said geological problems were only "unforeseen" if the contractor did not conduct standard geological tests ahead of tunnelling. He said a similar, but less calamitous, situation happened with the privately funded CityLink tunnel in Melbourne. "The government projects are much slower to complete, but they do a better job," he said.
THE builders of Sydney's collapsed Lane Cove tunnel pressed ahead underground last night despite calls from the state Opposition to halt construction and warnings from experts that the job was being rushed.
Engineers and private road experts told The Australian that the cave-in, which created a 20m deep hole endangering two apartment blocks, reflected the financial pressures facing the privately funded project in the city's lower north shore area.
"It's a major negligence if people have caused this," said engineering professor Bijan Samali, from Sydney's University of Technology.
"There could be all kinds of possibilities -- time pressures, it could be a result of inadequate supervision, or financial pressures to finish jobs on time or capitalise on bonuses promised."
The contractors hired to build the tunnel, Thiess John Holland, were last night desperately trying to shore up the foundations of thetwo apartment blocks, which cracked about 2.30am when the area around a tunnel ventilation shaft fell in.
A convoy of concrete mixing trucks lined up as the contractors poured 1000cum of fast-drying concrete into the gaping hole. About 50 residents were evacuated in the early hours.
A fire brigade crew burst into 33-year-old Chris Lahm's apartment, kicking down the door at 3.30am. "They snapped my door open and I saw five big burly fire guys," Mr Lahm said. "They told me, `You have got to get out now, the building's about to collapse'."
Rob Colquhoun, 32, said he heard a loud noise "which sounded like grinding". He and partner Karen Bruce, 31, went to the balcony overlooking the intersection of Epping Road and the Pacific Highway, and saw a gaping hole.
"The hole was large and threatening, and we decided to get the hell out of there," Mr Colquhoun said.
Thiess John Holland spokesman David Saxelby said the contractors encountered an "unforeseen geological issue".
But Professor Samali said the technology to avoid such disasters was well-established.
"You need to use temporary or permanent shoring -- it's pretty basic stuff," he said.
A leading roads construction consultant said geological problems were only "unforeseen" if the contractor did not conduct standard geological tests ahead of tunnelling. He said a similar, but less calamitous, situation happened with the privately funded CityLink tunnel in Melbourne. "The government projects are much slower to complete, but they do a better job," he said.
But Mr Saxelby denied the project was a "rush job".
The project operator, the Lane Cove Tunnel Company, which involves Chinese and other investors, tried to avoid the media yesterday. But pressed on why it would proceed with construction, spokesman Trent Mumford said: "WorkCover inspected the site and is satisfied work can continue on other worksites."
Dieter Adamsas, chief financial officer of the contractor's parent company, Leighton Holdings, said it was likely all costs associated with the accident would be covered by the group's insurance.
But he said the cause of the problem was unknown, and he could not rule out the possibility of negligence.
The Leightonshare price fell 80c yesterday morning to $14.47 before recovering 44c following assurances the accident would not hit profits.
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