South Australia’s largest-ever infrastructure project has reached a major milestone, with the first giant tunnel boring machine for the River Torrens to Darlington Project officially blessed, named and prepared to begin tunnelling beneath Adelaide.
The enormous machine, now named Mary, will soon start carving out a 4.5-kilometre tunnel from Clovelly Park towards Anzac Highway as part of the $15.4 billion Torrens to Darlington project, jointly funded by the Federal and State Governments.
In a move celebrating South Australia’s history of reform and progress, all three tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have been named after South Australian suffragists who helped change the course of history.
Joining Mary will be Catherine and Elizabeth, honouring Mary Lee, Catherine Helen Spence and Elizabeth Webb Nicholls, all key figures in the movement that saw South Australia become the first place in the world where women could both vote and stand for parliament.
The names were chosen following more than 2,000 submissions from the public, with many South Australians calling for the machines to honour women who helped shape the state’s identity.
Premier Peter Malinauskas shared, “Mary Lee, Catherine Helen Spence and Elizabeth Webb Nicholls were pioneering suffragists whose advocacy helped position South Australia as a world leader in reform and representation, and it’s only fitting their names will now help lead one of the most significant infrastructure projects in our State’s history.
“The impact of these trailblazing women extends far beyond the history books; it helped drive real lasting change in South Australia and it’s only fitting their legacy will now be honoured through a project helping shape the State for future generations.”
Once complete, the project will allow motorists to bypass 21 sets of traffic lights between the River Torrens and Darlington, cutting travel times by up to 40 minutes during peak hour traffic.
Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said, “The naming of the three large-scale TBMs in honour of three trailblazing South Australian suffragists is fitting for this historic undertaking – the first road project in Australia to operate three large-scale TBMs at the same time.
“This demonstrates exactly what can be achieved when the Australian and South Australian governments work in partnership to drive real progress, support thousands of local jobs and boost productivity across southwest Adelaide.”
The naming ceremony also continued a centuries-old tunnelling tradition, where TBMs are named after women for good luck, a custom linked to St Barbara, the patron saint of miners and tunnellers. In keeping with that tradition, Adelaide Archbishop Patrick O’Regan performed the official blessing of Mary before tunnelling preparations begin.
State Infrastructure and Transport Minister Joe Szakacs said, “Today’s announcement of the TBM names and blessing of the first TBM is an exciting milestone for the T2D Project, as final preparations continue before tunnelling starts in the coming months.”
All three TBMs are expected to be operational by the end of the year, working around the clock for up to 24 months and progressing approximately eight to ten metres per day underground.
When complete, the Torrens to Darlington Project will create Adelaide’s first non-stop north-south road corridor, a transformation expected to reshape traffic flow, freight movement and connectivity across the city for decades to come.
