Gomer, the nine-storey-high piling rig affectionately named after 1960s TV character Gomer Pyle, has made good progress at the Albert and Customs Street intersection.
He’s expected to start making his way up Albert Street from the week of 7 November.
A tall story
Due to the busy central city location of the works, the worksite is complex: Gomer’s 11m x 5.5m footprint means he takes up most of the width of the road when he turns around!
With Fletcher Building’s demolition of the old Downtown Shopping Centre happening alongside Gomer’s piling work, Custom Street’s capacity has been squeezed for buses and all other traffic.
Digging a hole. And another hole. And another ...
However, Gomer has already dug more than 17 piles of up to 20m in depth, which have been filled with reinforcing cages and concrete, and he will have completed 362 piles in total when he reaches his final destination, 20m past Wyndham Street.
Gomer’s good progress means the City Rail Link team is on track to start digging the 350m cut-and-cover tunnels up Albert Street in the first quarter of 2017.
