Talbingo Access Road
- Snowy Hydro Limited
- Snowy Mountains, NSW
- Roads and Bridges
- Design and Construct
Background
Snowy 2.0 will link two existing Snowy Scheme reservoirs, Tantangara and Talbingo, and its new power station with six pump turbines will be located about 800m underground.
Talbingo Spoil Disposal Road (a section of North Ravine Road) serves as a vital conduit for disposing of spoil generated by Tunnel Boring Machines at the Talbingo Intake. The project comprises the upgrade and widening of 3km of the existing Lobs Hole Ravine Rd fire trail and the construction of 3km of new access road through non pioneered mountainous terrain. The access roads were designed to be wide enough to allow for spoil haulage into the Ravine Bay Spoil emplacement site, which will store over 1 million cubic meters of spoil from the project works.
Leed successfully joined two pioneering tracks running from the east and west ends of the new Talbingo Spoil Road site. Crews worked working from opposite directions meeting up along Middle Creek Cliffs to complete the road. The Middle Creek Cliffs section has an elevation gain of 60m traversing through the steepest section.
Project Innovation
- We engaged the expertise of a specialist subcontractor Boab Boats to provide barge access to the west end of the pioneering track. This innovative approach enabled the excavation of the challenging area to be completed from two fronts, reducing the overall construction timeframe.
- The completed road construction was a significant milestone for Leed and involved cutting through steep cliffs. The use of the Drill and Blast Technique, coupled with the strategic use of TECCO Mesh for stabilisation, underscores our commitment to safety.
