Safely relocating two kilometres of high-pressure gas pipeline without disrupting gas supply or road users is no easy feat, but that’s exactly what the Zinfra team delivered for the NSW Government as part of the M12 Motorway project.
Delivered by Transport for NSW, the M12 will provide direct access to the Western Sydney International Airport at Badgerys Creek and connect to Sydney’s motorway network.
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Navigating heritage underground water mains, critical interstate gas pipelines servicing NSW and Victoria, and crossing multiple major Sydney roads, Zinfra successfully managed the relocation of around two kilometres high-pressure pipeline and a pressure-reducing station.
Zinfra general manager of gas services Craig Farrugia said working within a ‘live’ gas environment required skill, patience, and a lot of critical planning.
“Working closely with Transport for NSW and contractor John Holland, our highly qualified team carried out precision horizontal directional drilling to ensure the new pipeline achieved minimum safe distances from the underground infrastructure while avoiding disruptions to motorists,” Farrugia explained.
“We were dealing with critical gas pipelines that service communities from Newcastle to Victoria and had to ensure that supply was not disrupted while also enabling work on the motorway and surrounding roads could continue as scheduled.
“The Zinfra team was agile throughout the works, often shifting plans to ensure critical project construction milestones could be met. This included adjusting plans to incorporate a small 140m drill underneath an animal crossing and avoiding surface disruptions.
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“Safety is always our number one priority, and we pride ourselves on delivering hazard-resilient energy infrastructure. With our quality assurance systems in place, the Zinfra team worked swiftly in a live gas environment to deliver the new pipeline within metres of the bustling M7,” Farrugia said.
This achievement was carried out over five months and delivered on time. No motorists were disrupted by Zinfra’s work and most importantly no customer had their gas supply disrupted as a result of the relocation of sections of critical gas pipeline.
