‘Should not have taken place’: How a single tunnel test triggered an eight-metre sinkhole in Melbourne
A test by tunnel workers has been blamed for the massive sinkhole that forced the closure of a popular Melbourne sports venue earlier this year.
The hole appeared at a popular sports venue in Melbourne’s northeast, the AJ Burkitt Oval in Heidelberg, near one of Victoria’s largest tunnel infrastructure projects.
While locals gathered to see the collapse, police and municipal workers scrambled to fence off the area.
Officials say pressure testing by North East Link tunnel workers destabilized the ground, causing the eight-metre hole to open.
Paul Roth, Interim CEO of VIDA Roads, a government body tasked with projects such as the North East Link and West Gate Tunnel, claimed the testing “should not have taken place”.
In his speech to the press on Friday, after the investigations into the sinkhole were completed, he claimed that the incident could have been prevented. WorkSafe continues to monitor the situation.
“This is a very serious incident and we took it very seriously,” he said.
“We are extremely disappointed and share the community’s frustration and disappointment.”
Mr Roth said the incident would not cause any delays or additional costs on the $26 billion tunnel project.
Authorities said workers entered a geologically complex and fragmented landscape, ABC reports.
“This was not a surprise. We were aware of the conditions, had excellent knowledge of the conditions and the TBM was operating as expected,” Mr. Roth said.
The crew said they passed the complex ground segment as planned before conducting a planned pressure test.
It was this test that caused the pothole in Heidelberg, and officials agreed that the test should not have been carried out at all.
The government started the repair of the oval by filling the 8-meter pit with concrete.
Work to re-turf the affected ground will continue and is expected to be completed by March.
