Tunnel Progress At Mo rectos
HAMILTON. Sat. (Sp.)—The work of driving the 25ft diameter 1700 ft diversion tunnel for the Maraetai hydroelectric dam is progressing fairly well, but the wet and unstable nature of the country makes it anything but a straight-forward job. Nearly half the excavation is completed and the work of concreting the tunnel’s walls is following close behind this work. From the outlet, which has been driven in more than 500 ft, water has still to be pumped at the rate of 700 gallons an hour. In the last few months the number of men working in the tunnel has been increased from 130 to 150. CONTINUOUS WORK These men are working three eighthour shifts for five days a week. Much of the ground has had to be pinned with pipes and concrete. From the intake end the men have driven about 200 ft. The lower half of the gate shaft which joins this end of the tunnel 180 ft in is now being concreted. The whole of the top of the inlet end of the tunnel has had to be lined with concrete as it was driven because of the heavy unstable nature of the ground. At the outlet end, 360 ft of the tunnel’s wall have be'en lined with concrete, some of the work having to be done under water.
The speed with which the tunnel can be finished is the key to the completion of the whole 180,000-kilowatt scheme.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19480117.2.45
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Northern Advocate, 17 January 1948, Page 4
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245Tunnel Progress At Mo rectos Northern Advocate, 17 January 1948, Page 4
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