M6 Stage 1

Automated groundwater and displacement monitoring, mitigating construction risks during ramp and embankment works for Sydney’s M6 motorway link.

The M6 Stage 1 Project

The M6 Stage 1 will deliver the missing link from Sydney’s south to the wider Sydney motorway network, making journeys easier, faster, and safer. It will remove more than 2,000 trucks a day from surface roads, and help return local streets to local communities.
The project comprises of twin four-kilometre tunnels that will connect the M8 Motorway at Arncliffe to President Avenue at Kogarah. In addition, the project entails the construction of ramps that will seamlessly link the main motorway tunnel to the surface intersection at President Avenue.

The Challenges

Menard has been appointed to undertake soil improvement using Controlled Modulus Columns (CMCs), which serve as a crucial component of the ramp construction supporting the embankment and access ramp from President Avenue to the M6 tunnels.
Given the presence of an underground high-voltage (HV) power line in close proximity to the construction site, this particular area has been identified as a potential risk zone that requires careful monitoring and effective management. To address this need, Menard Oceania has contracted Sixense to provide a monitoring solution aimed at mitigating construction-related risks and ensuring comprehensive risk management throughout the project.

What we’ve delivered

Sixense has successfully provided and installed piezometers for monitoring groundwater levels, along with automated inclinometers used to measure lateral displacement within the boreholes. To ensure efficient and reliable data collection, a site-wide radio network has been established in conjunction with wireless self-powered dataloggers.
Real-time data is processed and automatically uploaded to the Beyond Monitoring database. The accompanying software offers interactive views and graphs of the data, handles automated alarms, and generates reports. Sixense’s system enables high-frequency, automated monitoring to detect and mitigate risks associated with soil improvement activities, delivering a robust solution.