Written by: McConnell Dowell
For more than six decades, McConnell Dowell have been synonymous with technically complex construction. Since our foundation in 1961, our “Creative Construction” ethos has taken us across Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and beyond. Today, we continue to push boundaries in the water and wastewater sector, where trenchless technology is helping meet some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
With global demand for water security and wastewater solutions growing, we have placed water infrastructure at the heart of our long-term strategy. With innovative technology at the core of our response, we deliver smarter, safer, and more sustainable outcomes while reducing disruption to communities.
Each project has taught us valuable lessons. No two sites share the same ground conditions, restraints, or client requirements, so we adapt our methodology every time. What began with our first Direct Pipe installation at Army Bay has since evolved into new techniques, such as “short pipe” launches for constrained sites and a hybrid methodology for installing GRP pipe. These refinements push the boundaries of what can be achieved and will increasingly have relevance in the Australian market.
This spirit of innovation has delivered results across a series of landmark projects. At Army Bay, we not only broke records but also minimised environmental impact within a conservation area. At Snells Algies, we extended the Direct Pipe record to 2,020 metres. More recently, on the Warkworth to Snells Transfer Pipeline, we showed how trenchless tunnelling can avoid disruptive road alignments, reduce client’s Capex and Opex costs, and improve long-term efficiency by eliminating pump stations.
Our innovation is driven by three key factors. Safety informs every design and delivery decision. Sustainability is advanced through innovations such as direct product pipe installations that reduce material duplication. Constructability is strengthened by our ability to self-perform tunnelling, with our own fleet of machines, engineers, and technicians. This hands-on approach allows us to refine capabilities, optimise constructability, and push the boundaries of trenchless technology.
We also believe in challenging perceptions within the industry. Direct Pipe is too often seen as a competitor to HDD, when in fact it sits between HDD and microtunnelling, offering a pragmatic alternative that reduces risks for both client and contractor. By combining operational lessons with internal engineering reviews and leveraging our strategic relationship with Delve Underground, we have developed a collective, experience-driven approach to both technical and client issues.
What we have learned in New Zealand and Asia is now informing projects in Australia, where urbanisation and ageing infrastructure are increasing demand for trenchless solutions. We are adept at connecting the right experts with the right teams to apply trenchless solutions where they make the greatest impact.
For us, the journey is about more than adopting new methods. It is about driving evolution across the trenchless industry itself. Implicit in the projects we have delivered is a powerful cycle of learning, refinement, and optimisation. That’s what sets us apart – we’re not just adopting trenchless technologies, we’re helping redefine them.