Hobart’s Domain Highway will close from Friday night as crews dig a trench to extend a new sewerage pipeline already stretching 1.5 kilometres.
The shutdown, running through to 5am Monday with a mix of full and single-lane closures, marks a key stage in TasWater’s $1.1 billion overhaul of the city’s waste system.
“On the Domain Highway, between the Tasman Bridge and Brooker Highway, a mix of full and single-lane closures will occur from October 3-6,” Tony Willmott, TasWater’s general manager of project delivery, said.
“Travel from Glenorchy into the city via Domain Highway won’t be possible – access is only available from the city or eastern shore during the single lane closure.”
The weekend blitz became necessary after drilling equipment struck old infrastructure, forcing crews to abandon earlier tunnelling beneath the road.
“Due to challenging ground conditions and remnants of previous road infrastructure beneath the current highway, earlier attempts to use micro tunnelling were unsuccessful,” Willmott said.
“To ensure safety and efficiency, temporary road closures are the only viable option for carrying out this phase of construction.”
Queens Walk will also be closed from tomorrow until October 10 between Bellevue Parade and Domain Highway as excavation continues.
The disruption comes as the project passes the 40% mark – slightly ahead of schedule and on budget. About a third of the 4.3-kilometre pipeline route is now complete.
At Macquarie Point, major excavation has wrapped up with more than 10,000 tonnes of soil removed.
The site will house a compact, state-of-the-art pump station capable of shifting nearly five Olympic-sized swimming pools of wastewater a day to Selfs Point.
At Selfs Point, the concrete base for the first digester tank has been poured, while above-ground structures including the inlet, primary settling tank and membrane bioreactor are also taking shape.
The digester will use natural bacteria to break down sewage sludge, cutting waste and producing reusable material.
By late next year, the new system is expected to strip 132 tonnes of nitrogen and phosphorus from the Derwent each year – around half of TasWater’s current pollution footprint.
It will also clear the way for future development at Macquarie Point.
