Work on Heysen Tunnels helps keep users safe

Friday, 4 May 2018

Walls in the Heysen Tunnels are being cleaned to help keep the time-saving thoroughfares safe.

Maintenance of emergency equipment is also being conducted, all while keeping traffic disruption to a minimum.

Each of the tunnels has incident detection cameras that detect stopped or slow-moving vehicles and alert the Traffic Management Centre to any problems.

Roadside emergency telephones are also installed every 50m along the 500m tunnel walls.

DPTI Intelligent Transport System technician Rod Garrett said the cleaning work on the walls was important, as it contributed to maintaining ideal light levels through the walls’ reflective properties.

“The work is very important for the safety of members of the public who use the tunnels,” Rod said.

“We schedule four routine maintenances of the tunnel each year, we do major maintenances on a six-monthly basis and then minor maintenance on a quarterly basis.

“The quarterly maintenances typically only involve single-lane closures of the tunnel, whereas the major maintenances may involve a full shutdown.”