Building an Underwater Tunnel with Smart Construction Technology

Ambitious mega projects for underwater tunnels such as the Korea-Japan Undersea Tunnel, the Strait of Sicily Tunnel, and the underwater tunnel crossing the Strait of Gibraltar to connect Europe with Africa are close to becoming a reality. Undersea tunnels are usually opted for when it is difficult to build bridges due to being in the way of shipping routes or connecting long distances across the sea. Unlike the more common tunnels that cut through mountains, the construction of underwater tunnels is highly complicated as they involve working with uncertain geological conditions and a vulnerable environment exposed to high pressure and salt in the ocean. Naturally, it calls for advanced precision in ground analysis and accuracy in design engineering.

Taking these requirements into account, DL E&C was recently awarded the contract to build the Namhae-Yeosu Underwater Tunnel. The project is to build a 4-lane national road with a total length of 8.09km, connecting the southern cities of Yeosu and Namhae. Scheduled to be completed by 2031, the new tunnel is expected to drastically reduce travel time between the two cities from the current 90 minutes to a mere 10 minutes.

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Adopting Cutting-edge Smart Technology

DL E&C was especially recognized for its use of smart construction technologies such as AI, BigData, and BIM in its proposal for the underwater tunnel. ?

For example, the company’s proprietary “Building Information Modeling (BIM) Tunnel Design Package” was adopted to develop the design plan while optimal alignment for the tunnel was found using design automation based on generative design technology and high-precision analysis of subsea geological conditions leveraging artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the tunnel blast design was optimized with 3D models using BIM and geographical information system data. DL E&C also announced plans to increase tunnel faces from four to eight during construction, which will shorten the overall construction period by 13 months.

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Demonstrating Out-of-the-box Thinking?

The original master plan for the tunnel was a unidirectional route connecting Yeosu to the southern end of Namhae. However, DL E&C found that connecting both the northern and southern ends of Namhae would be more ideal to meet the project’s purpose of achieving balanced regional development and proposed an undersea branch tunnel accordingly. DL E&C has previous experience in successfully building branch tunnels with the Marina Coastal Expressway in Singapore and the Sinwol-Yeouido Underpass in Seoul.

The branch tunnel also brings benefits such as securing additional evacuation routes and improving smoke exhaustion in case of emergency situations.

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Placing Safety First

Various new attempts were taken for the new underwater tunnel but never at the expense of safety. DL E&C continues to place top priority on safety and durability for the new project, as it has done with previous projects. Fireproof performance will be enhanced, and condensation prevented by implementing Korea’s first self-developed insulation and fire-resistant concrete, reducing thermal conductivity by 40% compared to conventional concrete and maximizing safety of the tunnel. In addition, a 24-hour integrated control safety platform, a state-of-the-art technology convergence smart measurement system, and smart construction equipment will also be utilized to achieve excellence in safety.

Taking its proven track record in handling large-scale projects at sea such as the Turkey ?anakkale Bridge, which is the world’s longest suspension bridge, as well as its cutting-edge technology showcased in constructing the Namhae-Yeosu Underwater Tunnel, DL E&C plans to continue to actively take part in global undersea tunnel projects in the future. ?

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