AMURI TUNNEL PIERCED
The piercing of the Amuri Bluff tunnel on the South Island Main Trunk railway was announced on Saturday by the Minister of Public Works . (the Hon. R. Semple). The finishing of the tunnel, the Minister expected, would be accomplished within a month, states the "Press." The tunnel is the principal one, and the longest, oil the trunk railway between Christchurch and Blenheim. It has a ilength v 39 chains, There jar'e 14 other i tunnels on the southern section of the railway, bn which tunnelling of two miles and a quarter has to be done. Extremely difficult underground conditions were met at the southern end of the tunnel, necessitating an increase in the' section of concrete lining to cope with the heavy pressures. The valley floor was of a very unstable nature and slides took place at the approach to the portals. By adopting "cut and cover" methods and by excavating 20,000 cubic yards with shovel, dragline, and bulldozer, a heavily-rein-forced tunnel barrel, four chains and a half long, was built in the open. Backfilling has to be done over the barrel, which, in addition to giving stability to the approach to the tunnel proper, enabled the work on the tunnel to be proceeded with last winter in safety.
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Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 112, 13 May 1940, Page 4
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212AMURI TUNNEL PIERCED Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 112, 13 May 1940, Page 4
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