PROGRESS IN TUNNEL

Press, Volume C, Issue 29643, 13 October 1961, Page 15

PROGRESS IN TUNNEL

300 Feet Last Month Tunnelling had proceeded smoothly last month, said the Ministry of Works in its monthly report to the Christ-church-Lcrtteulton Road Tunnel Authority yesterday. Very Httle timbering bad been required, and this had greatly assisted the rate of progress. Drilling and loading times had been reduced steadily, but mucking-out operations bad been relatively slow, partly because of the poor state of the haul road and partly because of minor breakdowns of the loading equipment. Work was on a three-shift, six-day week basis throughout the month. The manpower had been increased, the average number (employed being 75. Three hundred feet had been driven during the month, the face being advanced to 428 ft. “K is now nearer 600 ft,” commented the chairman (Mr W. S. Mac Gibbon). An inspection of the railway tunnel had been made while a round was being fired, the ministry said. It had been reported by the Railways Department that the effects of Hasting could be felt near the railway station. No movement whatever could be felt within the tunnel, and there was no evidence to show that there was any adverse effect at this stage. Similar inspections would be made from time to time. Mr Mac Gibbon reported that the Automatic Telephone and Electric Company, Ltd., had been asked to prepare a master plan for the installation of electric and electronic controls.