Stage 2 includes connections from Stage 1 tunnels at Cove Street, Birchgrove to the Warringah Freeway near North Sydney, and complete tunnel fit out of both Stage 1 and 2 tunnels. Click here to find out more about Stage 1, which is now complete

Two types of tunnelling equipment will be used to build Stage 2:

• roadheaders between Cammeray and Waverton, Birchgrove, north of Cove Street

• tunnel boring machines (TBMs) from Birchgrove, north of Cove Street and under Sydney Harbour to Waverton.

Certain construction activities will involve the use of machinery that generates noise, light, and vibration. We will do everything we can to reduce the impact of our activities on you. We will carry out work in line with the Conditions of Approval for the Western Harbour Tunnel project, monitor the impact of our work and adjust our activities as required.

You can find more information on ground movement, vibration and ground-borne noise in our fact sheet.

Tunnelling activities are approved to be carried out 24 hours a day, seven days a week 

To see Western Harbour Tunnel alignment, and the distance and depth measurements, click here to view the tunnel tool.

We are completing the tunnels in phases. Below are the activities that need to be carried out to make the tunnels operational:  

• Phase 1 – heading excavation which involves excavating the top of the tunnel and cross passages and stabilising the tunnel by installing large steel rods (rock bolts) into the rock layer and spraying concrete (shotcreting). 

• Phase 2 – benching excavation which involves excavating the floor of the tunnel. 

• Phase 3 – tunnel fitout which involves installing drainage and other mechanical and electrical services to the new tunnel. Additional excavation activities are required to complete drainage and service installation work. Some of this work involves high noise impact activities. 

• Phase 4 – tunnel pavement and structural work which involves installing the road pavement, signage, line marking and barriers in the tunnel, and structural fit out of the cross passages (linking the tunnels together). 

Read our latest monthly tunnelling notification for more information. 

We are currantly excavating the two tunnal boring machine (TBM) launch chambers below Birchgrove. More information is available in the fact sheet tunnelling from Birchgrove to Waverton.

The TBMs have started to arrive in Sydney. Once the underground launch chambers are ready, we will start to assemble the TBMs underground, accessing the work area from the tunnels in Rozelle. We will provide more information about TBM tunnelling closer to this time.

Tunnel fit-out activities (Rozelle, Balmain, Birchgrove):
Tunnelling and tunnel fit-out activities are continuing under Lilyfield, Rozelle, Balmain and Birchgrove. Work within the tunnels is carried out 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Activities in progress include:

• Excavating the tunnels north of Cove Street, Birchgrove, including two launch chambers for our TBMs to be assembled before tunnelling under Sydney Harbour.

• Tunnel fit-out activities - rock hammering in traffic tunnels under Lilyfield, Rozelle, Balmain and Birchgrove.

Read our Inner West tunnelling notification for more information