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Morwell Land Movement Princes Freeway Community Update No 4. Morwell Land Movement By Malcolm Lawrence - 2nd June 2011 - Back to News Morwell Land Movement/Princes Freeway Closure
Community Update
Hi everyone,
I am pleased to bring you this update on behalf of the emergency management team (EMT).
Works are progressing well. I understand there have recently been conflicting reports about the progress that has been made and this may be causing some concern.
Be assured that the EMT and geotechnical experts continue to work around the clock to understand the extent of movement in the area of concern and find a solution for the main drain.
We have achieved a significant amount of work and gathered a lot of important data in the past three months. We have had success in understanding the very complex nature of this incident which is crucial to developing the way forward and what work is needed to ensure the safety of the area. To date the following works have been completed:
32 horizontal bores have been drilled to drain ground water away from the area of concern
A further 14 are to be drilled with one currently underway
Four extensometers that measure land movement and provide real time monitoring (with alarms) across crack zones of the freeway have been installed and are fully operational
Piezometers, used to measure ground water levels, have been installed throughout the area of concern and are also being actively monitored.
Our focus is to keep doing the work that is delivering results. With no significant movement detected in recent weeks, we can be cautiously optimistic.
As you may be aware, Professor Tim Sullivan presented some comprehensive modelling and data to the members of the EMT on Tuesday 10 May.
The findings were discussed along with other data that has been gathered over the past three months during two risk assessment workshops. A comprehensive report will be submitted in June that will help to decide on the next steps.
I know it is frustrating but at this point in time we cannot be more specific about when the freeway may reopen. Public safety is our number one priority and we make no apologies for that. Our job is to ensure that the level of residual risk is acceptable before we can even think about reopening the freeway.
The reality is that the freeway will remain closed in the short term while we continue to assess the level of risk and undertake the necessary actions to reduce these risks.
As announced by Deputy Premier Peter Ryan during his visit to Morwell on Thursday 19 May, the EMT will work closely with the Government to provide fortnightly community updates on the situation to keep you informed of the work being undertaken and progress on getting the job done.
The first of these updates featured in the Express on Monday 30 May and will appear each Monday fortnight on page five. I encourage you to read these and use them as another source of information.
I ask for your continued patience and support and encourage you to visit http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=30040 for further information.
Kind regards,
Tess Walsh
Superintendent
Incident Controller
CONTACT NUMBERS
For assistance or advice for residents completing relocation plans - contact Leading Senior Constable Brett Godden, Morwell’s Community Liaison Officer and Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator. Brett can be contacted on 5131 5085.or brett.godden@police.vic.gov.au
To report structural issues contact the DPI (Department of Primary Industry) customer service line on 136186.
For Freeway closure information contact VicRoads on 131170 or visit www.vicroads.vic.gov.au .
For assistance at a local government level contact Latrobe City on 1300 367 700.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: malcolml@dcsi.net.au
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