Stairs - Hanging 40 Metres!

This is an interesting one. A 22 metre diameter tunnel shaft is being excavated 40 metre deep for a sewage tunnel in Auckland, NZ. It will eventually house the pumping station and is the exit point for the tunnel boring machine.

The stairs are suspended from the top and each week or so as the hole gets deeper the scaffolders are called upon to join another lift to the bottom of the stair tower. "Theoretically it would be possible to do with a conventional scaffolding system," says Camelspace's Mick Spratling, ". . . but I am glad we didn't have to try!"

The sewage tunnel, 3 km long and up to 90 metre deep below Hobson Bay, is being built for Watercare by a Fletcher Construction, McConnell Dowell Constructors JV.

Thanks to Mick Spratling and Phil McConchie of Camelspace for the use of these photos.
Camelspace website: www.camelspace.com