AIRPOINT LINK

Ground anchoring, piling shear keys, pile base grouting and shotcrete works in Brisbane, Queensland

Project Overview

The Airport Link and busway project involved 15 kilometres tunneling including the road, busway tunnels and connecting ramps, as well as 25 bridges and result in over 7 kilometres of new road. The Airport Link was at the time Australia's longest road tunnel.

Geovert were contracted in the initial phase of the piling works for the shaft construction at the TBM portal to drill and install cages and steel keys to socket the base of the piles into the Welded Tuff that was too hard for large diameter piles to socket into.

Geovert Solution

The work involved two mini piling rigs drilling 200mm holes with a DTH to depths of 40m through the center of the 1200mm reinforced concrete piles with minimal tolerances.

The steel reinforcement was grouted with 3No. 40mm high tensile bars tied together to socket the base of RC piles. Post grouting via tube a manchettes was undertaken to seal the base of the piles to improve the integrity of the foundation of the large retaining structures.

Other packages of work included permanent rock bolts, temporary ground anchors and shotcrete for the retaining structures.