Work continues beneath Rutherford and Halifax Streets this month as part of the enabling works for the Bridge to Better project.

Crews are using a trenchless construction method known as pipe jacking to install two new wastewater pipes beneath Halifax Street. To do this, they’ve excavated a large 4-metre-deep pit that allows the pipes to be pushed, or “thrust,” underground, and two smaller receiving pits on the other side of Halifax Street.

On Monday (20 October), crews successfully completed the first thrust of 18 metres of pipe and are now preparing for the second longer shot of 32m that will occur after Labour Weekend.

This approach minimises disruption by avoiding the need for two deep, open trenches. That would have meant closing Halifax Street entirely and working around other underground services in challenging groundwater and tidal conditions. The new pipes sit approximately 4m below ground level to ensure they connect efficiently to the city’s pump station and maintain gravity flow.

The work may be sporadically noisy at times — some of you may have heard the pipe jacking late last week — but crews are working as efficiently as possible to keep disturbance to a minimum.