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Latrobe Crime Watch News Special Edition July 2011Morwell Land Movement/Princes Freeway Closure Community Update. By Malcolm Lawrence - 12th July 2011 - Back to News Latrobe Crime Watch News Special Update Edition July 2011
Latrobe Police Service Area
Neighbourhood Watch Creating Safer Communities
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Morwell Land Movement/Princes Freeway Closure Community Update
Hi everyone,
I’m happy to report that there has been no significant ground movement in recent weeks.
Forty-six bore holes have now been drilled and completed. A further 13 bore holes up to 1000m long are planned at the base of the mine wall adjacent to existing boreholes.
Recent monitoring shows some decreases in ground water levels as a result of the bore holes draining water away from the area.
On Wednesday 1 June, Neighbourhood Watch volunteers surveyed a number of people on Commercial Road regarding questions they had about the land movement/freeway closure.
On behalf of the Emergency Management Team, I’m pleased to provide the first instalment of answers from the survey. Other answers will follow in both the Latrobe Valley Express and further newsletters. I encourage you to contact Leading Senior Constable Brett Godden at brett.godden@police.vic.gov.au if you have any further questions and we will endeavour to respond.
Will the freeway reopen and if so when?
The Princes Freeway will remain closed at Morwell in the short term while the level of risk continues to be assessed and the necessary actions to reduce these risks are undertaken. Public safety is our top priority. Once the findings from the risk assessment workshops and geotechnical data have been presented in July, the community will be updated on the situation and next steps. Until this time, we cannot be more specific about when the freeway may reopen.
Why are we still treating this as an emergency?
Police have maintained the control agency function of the Emergency Management Team for two primary reasons - the complexity of the event and the potential risk to community safety.
Has the design work been completed for an improved drainage system?
The drain design work has been submitted by Hazelwood and is being finalised now in conjunction with DPI. It is expected that this will be completed in the coming weeks.
When will this work be completed?
The Quantitative Risk Assessment and the drain design are both expected to be completed in the coming weeks. Information will then be available to develop and communicate a plan for the completion of the works.
What’s the name of the geotechnical company compiling the report and doing the testing/monitoring?
DPI’s main advice has come from Professor Tim Sullivan, Chair of the Technical Review Board that advises DPI on mine stability issues. Peer reviews have been provided by two other eminent geotechnical experts – Professor Kevin Rosengren and Emeritus Professor Robin Fells.
Are the holes being drilled being filled with piping to prevent collapse?
All the bore holes drilled into underground coal seams are self-supporting due to the nature of the coal. Pipe sections are placed at the end of the holes to keep drainage water off the mine wall and avoid erosion.
The horizontal bores – what length of the freeway are they being drilled and how far into the mine are they being drilled?
How far into the town do they run?
Hazelwood is installing an extensive system of horizontal and more vertical borehole drains. These boreholes are mostly 500 metres long and start at the bottom of the disused northern mine slope and extend towards the freeway and Morwell township. Some of the boreholes may be extended to 800 metres. These boreholes are designed to drain the water from the vertical joints and cracks in the coal seam. Any 800 metre boreholes will extend to the edge of the town.
Are Latrobe City Council’s rates going to increase?
At this stage, Latrobe City Council has not had any reason to propose an increase to rates. The council will continue to keep residents informed if the situation changes.
Customers are staying away from businesses on Princes Drive because parking is too hard.
What is going to be done about the parking issue?
It is acknowledged that traffic along Princes Drive has considerably increased since the closure of the Princes Freeway. Traffic calming measures have been put in place by VicRoads for road user safety. Customer parking for businesses along Princes Drive is available in the adjacent side streets. Whilst we understand the inconvenience during this time, the community is encouraged to use these parking options if they have concerns regarding the increased level of traffic on Princes Drive.
Can the traffic light sequencing be returned to normal on weekends when it is mostly local traffic?
VicRoads is managing the operation of the ten traffic signals within Morwell along the designated detour route. Alterations have been made to the phasing and timing of these traffic signals with the recent introduction of a computer based traffic signal control system which automatically adjusts the traffic signal phasing to give more green time to the traffic lanes with the greatest traffic volumes.
As such, the traffic signals generally operate differently during the weekend compared to typical week days. The traffic lights default to green for Princes Drive in instances where there is no traffic travelling through the intersection.
Why hasn’t the mine been back-filled?
The overlaying material (overburden) on the coal in Hazelwood mine is up to 15 metres thick, while the coal seam is up to 100 metres thick. There is not enough material to replace the volume removed in the past 55 years. However, the mine has been 'backfilling' overburden into the mine in recent years to provide dust suppression and add weight to both the mine floor and the older mine slopes.
There seems to be an increased number of trucks travelling through town. Are these over dimensional vehicles? Are they able to travel along the detour route?
Vehicles can be over dimensional by the nature of the load they carry or by the special purpose they perform. Large trucks such as B-doubles are not over dimensional vehicles. Some over dimensional vehicles have limited access to the road network because of their size or their mass and require a permit to travel. However smaller over dimensional vehicles do not require a permit to travel on our roads and are entitled to use the Morwell detour. Those carrying larger loads, which do require a permit, are not allowed to use the Morwell detour and instead must use the designated route OD 9.
For up to date information on the situation please visit www.police.vic.gov.au
Kind regards,
Tess Walsh
Superintendent
Incident Controller
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: malcolml@dcsi.net.au
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