Boral supplies concrete for Emu Plains tunnel precasting

Boral will supply approximately 90,000 cubic metres of concrete for Western Harbour Tunnel precasting at Emu Plains. Acciona leases 18 hectares of the former quarry site; the facility opened with NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister Jenny Aitchison.

Boral’s adjacent wet mix plant can produce up to 120 cubic metres per hour, supporting more than 13,000 segments and nearly 1,400 culverts. The tunnel connects Rozelle Interchange with Warringah Freeway beneath Sydney Harbour.

Boral

An integrated materials supply

The Queensland-built plant uses quarry materials from Peppertree and Dunmore and cement from Berrima. Executive General Manager Mark Campbell described direct transfer of mixed concrete into segment moulds. CEO and Managing Director Vik Bansal linked the opening to the site’s infrastructure history.

Emu Plains operated as a quarry from 1883 to 2014. Recycling continues alongside precasting, producing aggregates, sands and engineered fill for Sydney.

Preparing the shared site

Boral and Acciona coordinated civil works while the recycling operation remained active. By Sep 20, 2024, the preparations had included moving 70,000 tonnes of recycling stock out of the leased area. Refuelling, servicing and parking areas were relocated as the site was reorganised for construction.

The preparatory works also included new internal roads, dams and stormwater systems. Boral’s concrete and quarries, property, legal and recycling teams worked on the commercial arrangements and site coordination. Acciona’s civil works involved between 50 and 100 contractors on site on any given day during that period.

Construction progress before the opening

Site establishment off Railway Street began in March 2024. By the February 2025 community update, the work had covered earthworks, utility connections, access roads, offices and amenities. Transport for NSW recorded the following quantities for the preceding 12 months:

More than 538,000 cubic metres of earth moved.
1,700 linear metres of electrical and water conduits laid.
Around 27,000 cubic metres of concrete poured.

Remaining foundations and precast-shed construction were still upcoming in that February update. The sheds were intended for making and storing tunnel-lining segments for the tunnel boring machines. Those earlier construction quantities cover site establishment; Boral’s planned concrete supply concerns the subsequent manufacture of tunnel components.