Tunnels & Tunnelling Weekly

Welcome to this week's Tunnels and Tunnelling International newsletter.

Some great highlights and milestones in the last week.

Don't forget to check out all the new daily content on our updated website: www.tunnelsandtunnelling.com

We hope you enjoy it.

See our highlights below:

GATEWAY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION ISSUES RFQ FOR HUDSON RIVER TUNNEL

The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the Hudson River Tunnel.

RFQ No. GDC-25-010-HTP is for the design, construction and other related work of the Hudson River Tunnel portion of the Hudson Tunnel Project.

The deadline for responses is December 6, 2024.

The Gateway Program includes building the new 3.9km two-tube Gateway Tunnel under the Hudson River, between Newark, New Jersey, and New York City’s Penn Station, and refurbishing Amtrak’s existing 112-year-old North River rail tunnel, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

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BJ?NN?S TWIN-TUBE TUNNEL COMPLETED IN NORWAY

In Norway, excavation of the Bj?nn?s twin-tube tunnel is now complete.

Eiffage crews have excavated nearly 450,000 m3 of rock, some of which will be reused as fill for the freeway.

The motorway project is one of the most important in Norway, linking two major urban centers, Oslo and Kristiansand. The section, which will link the towns of Langangen and Rugtvedt, is 17 kilometers long and includes the construction of several structures such as the Bj?nn?s twin-tube tunnel (2 x 2.5 km) and the Grenland tunnel (5.1 km).

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IMMERSION VESSEL ARRIVES FOR FEHMARNBELT TUNNEL

A unique vessel that will play a crucial role in the immersion of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel elements has arrived at the R?dbyhavn construction site on Lolland.

The immersion pontoon, which is two vessels that can be assembled and disassembled, has been delivered to the tunnel contractor, Femern Link Contractors (FLC). It sailed to R?dbyhavn from the Crist shipyard in Gdynia, Poland.

Ivy 1 and Ivy 2 have been designed to support the Fehmarnbelt tunnel elements during their journey from the work harbour. When the 217m-long elements leave the factory, they are light enough to float. Prior to the immersion process, however, several thousand tonnes of ballast concrete will be added to make the elements heavy enough to be immersed in the dredged tunnel trench on the seabed.

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TBM READY TO START ON BOLTON WASTEWATER PROJECT

The TBM has been delivered to site for United Utilities Bolton Wastewater Treatment works.

TBM Harriet will dig a 150m-long tunnel for the new pipework system, which will replace the old outfall.

Local school children from the nearby St Saviour C of E Primary School visited the site to meet Harriet. Some of the pupils from have their designs displayed on hoarding around the site after a competition to design a poster of what not to flush down the loo.

The ￡110m project will increase the treatment works’ capacity by 20% and reduce the number of storm overflows during heavy rain.

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SCS JV WINS FUNDING FOR CEMENT REPLACEMENT TRIAL

Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture (SCS) has secured funding to trial repurposed London clay as a low carbon alternative to cement.

Along with six other companies working on HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd London Tunnels, SCS JV has won the funding from Innovate UK to help accelerate the decarbonisation of the UK concrete industry.

SCS JV will use the money to continue developing a replacement for carbon intensive Portland Cement with repurposed London clay.

The team is working with HS2, technical lead Arup, concrete supplier Tarmac, the University of Leeds and Sika UK along with Expedition Engineering Ltd and the Mineral Products Association.

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SCHELDT TUNNEL ELEMENTS PREPARE TO SET SAIL

Construction of the eight elements for Antwerp’s Scheldt Tunnel is complete.

Contractor TM COTU began building the elements in a large construction dock in Zeebrugge in January 2023. Over the next few months the elements will be made watertight before being towed to Antwerp via the North Sea next year. Four tug boats will accompany the towing boat.

A total of 200,000m3 of concrete and 50,000 tons of steel were used for the tunnel elements. Each element weighs around 60,000 tons and consists of two tubes for vehicle traffic, a service lane and a 6m-wide bike lane.

The 1.8km-long Scheldt Tunnel, which is due to open in 2028, is part of the Oosterweel Link, a ring road around Antwerp designed improve links to the city and its port.

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CRCHI TBM LAUNCHED IN SWITZERLAND

The first Chinese-made TBM to be used in Switzerland has started work on a water conveyance tunnel.

The double shield TBM, manufactured by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation Ltd (CRCHI), began normal excavation on September 29 after completing the guided tunnel stepping works at Ingenbohl, on the eastern side of Lake Lucerne.

The water conveyance tunnel, which will connect Ingenbohl city with the resort of Brunnen, will be approximately 1.2km long and have a drainage capacity of 2800m3 per hour. It is expected to be completed next year.

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SHETLAND ISLANDS COUNCIL EXPLORES TUNNEL POTENTIAL

Shetland Islands Council has commissioned a transport feasibility study for the area, including the possibility of tunnels between islands.

A consortium of COWI, Stantec and Mott MacDonald will explore the potential benefits and challenges of different transport options, including both improved ferry services and fixed links. The outcome of the Inter-Island Transport Connectivity Programme will be a comprehensive network strategy for the next 30 years.

COWI will focus on the fixed link element, undertaking geological assessments, environmental impact considerations, engineering challenges, and economic analyses.

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Thanks for reading; we hope you enjoyed it.

Until next week.

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