Multi-million dollar safety upgrade for New Zealand tunnel

New Zealand transport Minister Simon Bridges has announced work is set to begin on a multi-million dollar fire deluge system that will improve safety and reduce the risk of lengthy closures at Lyttelton Tunnel south of Christchurch. The US$19.9 million (NZ$28.7 million) project is the largest project undertaken at the tunnel since it opened in 1964. The contract has been awarded to McConnell Dowell, with work set to start in the coming weeks. A fire sprinkler system is the most effective means of mana
May 18, 2017 Read time: 1 min
New Zealand transport Minister Simon Bridges has announced work is set to begin on a multi-million dollar fire deluge system that will improve safety and reduce the risk of lengthy closures at Lyttelton Tunnel south of Christchurch.


The US$19.9 million (NZ$28.7 million) project is the largest project undertaken at the tunnel since it opened in 1964. The contract has been awarded to McConnell Dowell, with work set to start in the coming weeks.

A fire sprinkler system is the most effective means of managing fire risk in the tunnel and is designed to control and contain a fire until fire services reach the scene. The project involves the construction of two reservoirs, two pump stations, and the installation of 9km of pipe work and 2,400 fire sprinkler nozzles throughout the tunnel.

The project is expected to be complete by December 2018.

Related Content

  • December 6, 2018
    Croix-Rousse demonstrates art of tunnel safety
    How do you expand a tunnel when it has reached its traffic limit? Build another tunnel in parallel to it. That, at least, is what Lyon did and opened the 1.7km Croix-Rousse dual-tunnel system in 2013. The smaller, new €283 million tunnel has become a symbol of Lyon’s intention to reinvent itself as one of France’s most innovative mobility centres, said Mathieu Hermen, head of operations at La Metropole de Lyon. Construction of the original two-lane tunnel under one of the city’s most densely populated arro
    Read More
  • October 31, 2022
    ITS from Indra helps Colombia tunnels
    Tolling and communications are also major part of new Latin American infrastructure project
    Read More
  • January 11, 2016
    Plug-in vehicles set to increase in popularity
    The demand for plug-in vehicles (PIVs) has increased in the UK over the last number of years, says UK Construction Media. According to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the number of electric car registrations has increased substantially over the past 12 months. An average of 2,400 electrical vehicles was registered per month in 2015 compared with just 500 at the beginning of 2014. It is estimated that the total number of electrical vehicles on the UK roads total
    Read More
  • March 17, 2014
    Dynamic lane closures cuts time, cost and congestion on Motorway roadworks
    A combination of technologies is leading to major congestion and cost reductions during roadworks on the UK’s motorway network. Innovative construction programme scheduling technology and the deployment of moveable barriers has achieved substantial savings of money and time on UK motorway roadworks managed by the Highways Agency (HA). This combination has set the scene for a new generation of road usage analysis tools. The HA’s objective was to reduce the congestion caused by lane closures during roa
    Read More

Highlighted Content