BASF MEYCO Fireshield 1350 fire protection mortar was used on this project   Sinking of 800 m-deep Sedrun shaft commenced February, 1999 by jv of Murer, Shaft Sinkers, Locher, Marti, Zschokke and CSC. April 1999.   Tenders invited for 2,646 m-long Faido access tunnel at Mairengo and Amsteg access tunnel. Also Bodio service tunnel 3,162 m-long and 5 m-diameter with two cut-and-cover tunnels at 380 m each. May 1999.   North portal to Sedrun is 21 km; Sedrun to Faido is 19 km; Faido to south portal is 16 km. Sedrun and Faido are construction accesses and will be retained as emergency exits during operation of the railway. At Sedrun there will be two crossovers together with passenger unloading facilities in separately-ventilated galleries to be excavated off-line. Amsteg access is for construction and maintenance purposes only. At this stage it is anticipated that the Sedrun section will be advanced by drill/blast on four faces off the shaft starting February, 2000. Two TBMs will drive from the north portal position towards Sedrun and another two TBMs will drive from the south portal; two TBMs will drive south from Amsteg commencing early-2002 and another TBM will drive from Bodio following on 400 m of preparatory cut-and-cover in blocky alluvial ground and 420 m drill/blast with grouting; two TBMs will drive north from Faido starting end-2002; and the final launch should be from Erstfeld in mid-2003. The south end of the tunnels will be segmentally or concrete lined, and elsewhere shotcrete, waterprooof membrane and in-situ concrete will be standard. The invert will be concreted in-situ throughout. Rock temperature will be 45 degrees C, provoking maximum air temperature of 35 degrees C and humidity of 70 %. Working temperature will be reduced by circulating cooling water to the faces from refrigeration plants on surface. Sedrun already has a 10 MW plant. Project has been divided into five main contract lots. Each of the three central lots will employ 500 men; the south lot 400 men; and the north lot 300 men. See also ch/20 – 22 below. October 1999. Shaft Sinkers of South Africa reported completion of a 800-metre vertical shaft at Sedrun. The contract also included a ventilation shaft and a cavern more than 2,000 metres below the surface. A new phase in the construction of the world's longest railway tunnel is about to begin now with the drill-and-blast of two pairs of tunnels from the cavern in both directions between the middle of next year to the end of 2007. Visit www.alptransit.ch 42/01. Click ch/19 and ch/22 To complete the first stage of AlpTransit and finance the second stage, further investment will be necessary for a total of CHF600 to 800 million. The Swiss Parliament has to approve the new funding next summer. The cost estimate for the first stage of AlpTransit - which includes a first phase with the Lötschberg and Gotthard base tunnels and a second phase with the Mount Ceneri and Zimmerberg tunnels - is CHF14.7 billion. However, unforeseen geological conditions in Faido at the Gotthard base tunnel and the decision to build a twin tube instead of a bidirectional tunnel under Mount Ceneri or safety improvements in the tunnels will cost an extra CHF520 million. Consequently, reserves dropped to CHF249 million as of 31st December, 2002. Another CHF50 million will also be submitted in Parliament for the second stage, which includes the underground crossing of the Uri valley. This stage, programmed for the 2010-2020 decade, will consist in lengthening the Gotthard base tunnel so that the line will run in tunnel on 75 km instead of 57, from Brunnen to Bodio. A final decision will be made in 2007. The Lötschberg base tunnel is 75% complete while the Gotthard base tunnel is 20% complete. Visit www.alptransit.ch and www.blsalptransit.ch 15/03.Following an out-of-court agreement between the project owner AlpTransit Gotthard and Schweizer Bahntechnik Konsortium and once the contract is signed, which is scheduled for spring 2008, Transtec Gotthard will draw up the implementation plans to begin installing railway technology in the Gotthard base tunnel in 2009. On 4th May, 2007, Transtec Gotthard was awarded the contract for railway technology but the decision was attacked in justice by the defeated consortium Schweizer Bahntechnik. Read E-News Weekly 24/2007. The order is worth CHF1.69 billion and construction is scheduled to last until 2016. Zurich-based Atel Installationstechnik leads the Transtec Gotthard consortium, whose other members are Alcatel-Lucent, Thales Rail Signalling Solutions (TRSS), Alpine Mayreder and Balfour Beatty Rail. Visit www.transtecgotthard.ch, www.atel.eu, www.thalesgroup.com, www.alpine.at and www.bbrail.comTranstec Gotthard is also aided by a number of other partners, among which Kummler+Matter, Pöyry Infra and Scheuchzer. Visit www.kuma.ch, www.ewi.ch or www.poyry.com and www.scheuchzer.chOnce the federal office of transport has granted its approval, work on installation of the railway technology systems is scheduled to begin at the south portal in Biasca around the beginning of 2009, and at the north portal in Erstfeld around 2012. The construction period is around seven years. The Gotthard base tunnel is scheduled to go into commercial operation in 2017. The work covers installation of railway technology facilities in the two one-track tunnel tubes, each 57 kilometres in length, and the outdoor routes connecting the existing rail network. The railway technology to be installed includes the track, power supply and cabling, lighting and power installations, overhead lines and switching stations, tunnel instrumentation and controls, data networks and operational communications, tunnel communication systems and signal boxes, process control systems and a new signalling and train security system.Before these systems can be installed in the tunnel, extensive systems for logistics and transport such as construction railway, workshops, storage depots, accommodation, ventilation and air conditioning systems, power supply, radio and telephone systems need to temporarily set up. Visit www.alptransit.ch 03/08.Pöyry has been awarded an engineering services contract in the Gotthard base tunnel project by the Swiss Transtec Gotthard consortium. The assignment comprises support of the operational management, technical coordination and planning integration. The value of the contract is about EUR10 million. AlpTransit Gotthard as owner awarded the Transtec Gotthard consortium the work contract for the installation of the railway technology in the Gotthard base tunnel. Transtec Gotthard comprises Atel Installationstechnik, Alcatel-Lucent Schweiz, TRSS Thales Rail Signalling Solutions, Alpine Bau and Balfour Beatty Rail. The consortium's contract is for implementation planning and installation of the railway installations and involves equipping the two single-track tunnels, each with a length of 57 km, as well as the overground lines to the north and south with a total length of around 11 km. Installation of the railway systems through the south entrance will start in the second half of 2009, and through the north entrance at Erstfeld at the end of 2011. Commercial operation of the world's longest railway tunnel with scheduled train services is planned to start at the end of 2017. Visit www.poyry.com, www.transtec-gotthard.ch and www.neat.ch/pages/e/index.php 20/08.

When completed, this 12.9 km twin tube with pilot tunnel which started in late-1991 will qualify cum laude for the Chamber of Horrors. Two 11.74 m-diameter Wirth TBMs and a 4.8 m-diameter Robbins TBM advancing from the east ran into geological problems in brittle sandstone. To date the pilot machine has suffered 10 face collapses which have had to be bypassed by hand mining, and the big machines also ground to a halt in December, 1997 after 653 m and 456 m of boring when 90 m of the westbound traffic tunnel collapsed aided by 750 lit/sec of water at 18 bar. Since then, all work has been by drill/blast, frequently in very wet and hazardous conditions in which an eleventh collapse of the pilot heading occurred. It is planned to restart the TBMs at some stage, possibly before 2000. Watch this space! April 1999.  Tamrock reports contractor RSEA is using its RMH 205 D rail jumbo to advance the Pinglin pilot tunnel. Visit www.tamrock.com for more product information. January 2000.Taiwan on 16th September, 2004 celebrated the final breakthrough, the eighth of its kind since 2000, of what is the world's 5th longest road tunnel. President Chen Shui-bian and Premier Yu Shyi-kun pushed a button to blast through the final portion of the eastbound tunnel. The 12.9 km Hsuehshan or Syueshan (Snow Mountain) tunnel is part of the 31 km Taipei-Ilan highway, or Beiyi freeway, which runs through mountains and river valleys in northeastern Taiwan. The Hsuehshan tunnel consists of two main tunnels (westbound and eastbound) and a pilot tunnel. Breakthroughs took place in July 1991 and October 2003 for the pilot tunnel, July 1993 and 14th March, 2004 for the westbound tunnel, and July 1993 and 16th September, 2004 for the eastbound tunnel.When initial work began on 15th July, 1991, small-sized TBMs were employed. In 1993, when work on the main tunnels began, two larger TBMs went into operation, one on the eastbound route and the other on the westbound route, both starting from the east portal. The machines cost roughly USD70.4 million. However, the tunnel drives were severely delayed by difficult geology, with fractured rock and massive inflows of water. Workers had also to deal with complex fault lines and other hazards that constantly delayed the project. Since work began 13 years ago, its completion date has had to be postponed four times because of countless cave-ins, floodings, mud and rock slides caused by massive inflows of groundwater. Eleven people were killed in the accidents. In order to speed up construction, drill/blast alternatives from additional working faces at the ventilation shaft II for all three tunnels and an additional drive at the interchange station II for the westbound tunnel were adopted. In December 1997, a large rush of water into the westbound lanes as well as a collapse forced to abandon the TBM, which was destroyed. The project had to be halted for one year. A smaller TBM was then used to complete the main portion of the westbound tunnel, which was achieved last year. As a result, the only TBM still being used was the one which bored its way through in the eastbound tube. That TBM completed a 6.8 km mountain section on 12th August, 2004.International experts stopped giving advice on how to tackle the painstaking project a few years ago, but Taiwan dug through the most difficult part - the eastward carriageway - of the tunnel. There were at least six geological faults and abundant groundwater in the section and the tunnel had to bore through very hard sandstone. This posed great challenges to the engineers. Once in just one day, the drilling heads of the jumbo had to be changed 13 times.The Hsuehshan tunnel will cut travelling time between Taipei and northeastern Ilan, passing through Pinglin and Luodong on the way, from more than two hours to just about 30 minutes. The Taipei-Ilan highway is scheduled to be officially opened at the end of next year, after the tunnel has been lined, and lighting, ventilation, power supply and traffic monitoring systems have been installed. Because of its complexity, the tunnel had to be built at all costs, for about USD1.8 billion.The world's longest road tunnel is the 24.5 km Laerdal in Norway, followed by the 18 km Zhongnanshan tunnel in China, presently under construction, the 16.9 km Gotthard tunnel in Switzerland and the 14 km Arlberg tunnel in Austria. Read E-News Weekly 12/2002. Visit www.motc.gov.tw 39/04.

Turkish contractor í–ztas has signed a contract for the supply of a refurbished Lovat RME136SE series 19500 earth pressure balance TBM that will be employed in the construction of the Gürpinar and Firuzkoy tunnels in Istanbul. The TBM will undergo a complete refurbishment at Lovat's facilities in Toronto. The 3.5 m-diameter mixed face TBM will first bore the 5,227 m-long Gürpinar tunnelpredominantely located in Gürpinar formation, mainly anticipated to consist of hard to stiff over-consolidated plastic clay with some weak sandstone, siltstone, claystone and tuff. A small portion of the tunnel alignment will be in a formless landslide complex consisting of water saturated sand layers. A faulted zone is likely to be encountered, in which greater water inflow is expected. The entire alignment is below the groundwater level, with a maximum groundwater height above the tunnel invert of 60 metres.The TBM will then bore the 3,770 m-long Tahtakale-Ambarh wastewater tunnel in Firuzkoy through three distinctive formations: the Kusdili formation, consisting of very soft to firm sandy silty clay, the Ceylan formation, consisting of limestone with marl fragments and clay layers, and also through the Gürpinar formation as described above. Groundwater levels will vary from one to 48 metres below the surface, with the entire alignment below the groundwater level. The TBM is scheduled to be delivered to Istanbul prior to year's end. Visit www.lovat.com and www.oztas.com.tr 23-24/07.

A consortium led by Stone & Webster has signed a $10 million contract for the engineering and design for the Konaktepe dam and hydroelectric power plant on the Munzur river near Ovacik in the Tunceli province, east central Turkey. This is the first of two phases of the project. The consortium will then negotiate the construction phase, estimated at $300-$400 million, which includes a 15 km power tunnel. The other members of the consortium are ATA Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., a Turkish construction firm responsible for the dam and civil construction, Strabag of Austria for the tunnel and surge chamber, Soyak Uluslarasi Insaat ve Yatrim A.S., a Turkish construction firm who will assist Strabag with the tunnel and surge chamber, and VA Tech Hydro GmbH & Co., an Austrian electrical and mechanical equipment supplier, who will supply the hydro-mechanical and electrical equipment.Visit www.shawgrp.com 13/02.Strabag, member of the Stone and Webster-led Konaktepe consortium including ATA Insaat, Soyak, and VA Tech has awarded consulting services including geophysical surveys, geological and geotechnical modelling for the 14 km-long Konaktepe power tunnel to iC consulenten based in Salzburg, Austria. The project is located in Tunceli province, some 800 km east of Ankara. The power tunnel will have an inner diameter of about 6 m and will be TBM-driven. Site works commenced on 6th June, 2002. More from Dr. Johannes Kleberger, j.kleberger@ic-salzburg.at. Also visit www.ic-vienna.at 26/02.

Open invitation to tender, deadline 10.10.2011, for design, supply, and installation of TBM shove frame at Westbourne park for two TBM launches. Register at www.competefor.com, click on Supplier Activity Centre and then Opportunity Search. Doc ref GB003ZM31159. 40/11.

This section will run for 39 km from Southfleet Junction to Ebbsfleet and under the River Thames to West Thurrock and Dagenham from where it will be in tunnels 19 km long to London St Pancras. Design work commissioned by Union Railways North for tunnels under the Thames and east London and acquisition of land and underground rights are proceeding, all under a $440 million contract for preliminary works. Construction starts in mid-2001 with completion in 2007. June 1999.   Union Railways proposes to compensate landowners for subterranean rights of way by paying a guaranteed minimum of $850 each to avoid protracted negotiations. October 1999.   Invitation to qualify for list of contractors for 40 km of 7.8 m-diameter soft ground tunnels with 5 x 35 m-deep x 200-300 sq m ventilation structures. Five separate contracts: from King’s Cross station in central London to Stratford east of the city 2 x 7.5 km tubes requiring two TBMs and including two ventilation structures; construction of 1 km-long Stratford station 54 m-wide at 18 m depth; from Stratford to Barrington Road 2 x 4.7 km tubes requiring two TBMs and including two ventilation structures; from Barrington Road to Ripple Lane 2 x 5.3 km tubes using two TBMs and including a ventilation structure and a cut-and-cover section; and the twin-tube 2.5 km Thames tunnel between Swanscombe and Thurrock requiring a single TBM. Depositions should include details of the machines to be used. The first preferred contractors announcement in January, 1998 nominated Tracklink, a jv of Mowlem, Holzmann and Besix for Contract 210 London Tunnels West, and a jv of Nuttall, Wayss & Freytag and Kier for Contract 250 London Tunnels East. This programme was aborted by the government in favour of a two-stage approach that resulted in the North Downs tunnel and Kent stretch of the new line being built first. More information from www.ctrl.co.uk December 1999.   First contract awarded to AMEC Civil Engineering for preliminary works including three pipejack tunnels for electricity and gas main diversions, commencing January, 2000 value $1.6 million. Information from PXJESSEL@ctrl.co.uk January 2000.   The major construction companies have been invited to a London briefing on 29th February to outline the civil engineering contracts that will make up Section 2 of the CTRL between Southfleet in north Kent and St Pancras in central London. CTRL developer Union Railways and project manager and designer Rail Link Engineering will unveil the contract packages on which design work is well advanced and invitations to tender will be issued this summer. Work is scheduled to begin in mid-2001 for commissioning 2007. More from PXRAVENS@ctrl.co.uk March 2000.   Prequalification underway for supply of 26,700 rings comprising 9+1 segments with i.d. 7.15 m, thickness 35 cm, length 1.5 m and 700 rings comprising 7+1 segments with i.d. 6 m, thickness 30 cm. Contact through PXJESSEL@ctrl.co.uk March 2000. Rail Link Engineering announced that 12 organisations have been invited to tender for five contracts worth $900 million for 20 km of tunnels from St Pancras station, through east London, and under the Thames river into North Kent. Contract awards scheduled early 2001 with construction commencing mid-year. Contract 220 from St Pancras to Stratford: Balfour Beatty/Amec; Miller/Dumez GTM/B&M; Nishimatsu/Kvaerner; Necso/Galliford. Contract 230 Stratford Box: Carillion/Bachy Soletanche; Mowlem/Bouygues/Besix; Kvaerner; Necso/Galliford. Contract 240 from Stratford to Barrington Road: Balfour Beatty/Amec; Campenon Bernard SGE; Nishimatsu/Kvaerner; Costain/Skanska/Bachy Soletanche. Contract 250 Barrington Road to Ripple Lane: Nuttall/Wayss & Freytag/Kier; Miller/Dumez/B&M; Hochtief/Murphy; Costain/Skanska/Bachy Soletanche. Contract 320 Thames tunnels: Nuttall/Wayss & Freytag/Kier; Campenon Bernard SGE; Hochtief/Murphy; Mowlem/Bouygues/Besix. Information from PXRAVENS@ctrl.co.uk May 2000. Union Railways reports value of contracts as: contract 220, $280 million; contract 230, $135 million; contract 240, $170 million; contract 250, $143 million. Contact PXJESSEL@ctrl.co.uk May 2000.Tenders issued for CTRL contract 103 for civil works to build new tracks for CTRL and connections to West Coast and East Coast main lines to the north of Kings Cross and St Pancras stations, including realignment of the Midland main line and construction of new tunnels for Thameslink 2000 project. Four organisations will bid: Kier/Nuttall; Tracklink (Mowlem/Bouyges/Besix); Alfred McAlpine/Amec; and Hochtief/Norwest Holst. Contract award Spring, 2001 with work commencing six months later. Client is Union Railways (North) Ltd. Visit www.ctrl.co.uk August 2000. Prequalification underway for contract 105 for Union Railways at St Pancras to include deck extension of station and train shed, and refurbishment of station including Thameslink tunnels. For documents fax +44 (0)207 681 5546 or visit www.ctrl.co.uk November 2000. Contractor prequalification announced for design/construct contract 310, Thames to Dagenham as: Balfour Beatty; Eurolink (Miller/Dumez GTM/B&M); Hochtief/Norwest Holst; Necso/Galliford; Tracklink (Mowlem/Bouyges/Besix); and Alfred McAlpine/Amec. Preferred bidder will be announced late-2001 with site open Spring, 2002. Visit www.ctrl.co.uk and www.balfourbeatty.com 03/01. CTRL Shortlist AnnouncedUnion Railways (North) Ltd has announced the shortlisted tenderers for five contracts worth over $750 million to construct major elements of Section 2 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL). The contracts include 20 km of tunnels that will carry the CTRL from north Kent under the Thames and through east London into St Pancras Station.The shortlisted organisations for each contract are:Contract 220 - West London Portal (edge of Kings Cross Railway Lands) to Stratford Box: Balfour Beatty Group Ltd/Amec Capital Projects Ltd; Nishimatsu Construction Co Ltd/Skanska Construction UK Ltd.Contract 230 - Stratford Box: Tracklink (J Mowlem and Co PLC/Bouygues SA/Besix SA); Skanska Construction UK Ltd.Contract 240 - Stratford to Barrington Road, Little Ilford: Nishimatsu Construction Co Ltd/Skanska Construction UK Ltd; Costain Ltd/Skanska Construction UK Ltd/Bachy Soletanche Ltd.Contract 250 - Barrington Road, Little Ilford, to Ripple Lane, Dagenham: Edmund Nuttall Ltd/Wayss & Freytag AG/Kier Construction Ltd; Hochtief AG/J Murphy & Sons Ltd.Contract 320 - Thames Tunnels including northern and southern approaches from Swanscombe to Thurrock: Edmund Nuttall Ltd/Wayss & Freytag AG/Kier Construction Ltd; Hochtief AG/J Murphy & Sons Ltd.Preferred bidders for C230 and C320 are scheduled to be announced later this month (January) with the three remaining contracts awarded in February. All are scheduled to start on site in mid-2001. 03/01.Shortlist for contract 103 to be awarded Spring, 2001 are Kier/Edmund Nuttall and Hochtief/Norwest Holst. Work involves new tracks, connections and realignment together with new tunnels for Thameslink. Visit www.hochtief.de 04/01. Award of contract 230 for Stratford station box to Skanska/Nishimatsu/Cementation, value $150 million. Contract 320 including 2.5 km-long Thames twin-tube bored tunnels awarded to Hochtief/Murphy, value $185 million. Visit www.ctrl.co.uk 07/01. Latest contracts awarded:Contract 135 (St Pancras - Highways and Utilities) - approx. value £11.5 million, let to Edmund Nuttall Ltd; Contract 220 (Stratford to West London Portal) - approx. value £145 million, let to Nishimatsu/Cementation Skanska; Contract 240 (Stratford to Barrington Road) - approx. value £125 million, let to Costain/Skanska/Bachy Soletanche; Contract 250 (Ripple Lane to Barrington Road) - approx. value £115 million, let to Edmund Nuttall/Wayss & Freytag/Kier. More from www.ctrl.co.uk 09/01. Announcement of 8.1 m-diameter TBM orders as follows: contract 220 (Nishimatsu, Skanska) Stratford to Kings Cross, two Kawasaki dual mode EPBs; contract 240 (Costain, Bachy Soletanche) Barrington Road to Stratford, two Wirth EPBs; contract 250 (Nuttall, W&F, Kier) Ripple Lane to Barrington Road, two Lovat dual mode EPB/Open; contract 320 (Hochtief, Murphy) Thames Tunnels, two Herrenknecht Mixshields. Machine deliveries start May, 2002. Visit www.ctrl.co.uk 27/01. Tunnelling on Contract 240 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) project was halted as engineers investigated the appearance of a huge crater across several gardens along the tunnel route. The collapse of old water wells built in the 1860s is believed to be the most likely cause of the landslip, which forced 50 people to evacuate their houses in Stratford, east London on 8th February. All but two of the households were allowed back on 10th February. The 10 m-deep crater happened more than a day after a 120 m-long TBM - nicknamed Hudson - boring a 8 m-wide tunnel passed below the houses on Lavender Street. The tunnel remained intact. A joint venture involving Costain, Skanska and Bachy Soletanche was awarded a £125 million contract for the section between Stratford and Barrington Road and started work last November. The tunnel is the first of two being bored at 85 metres per week by the 1,100-tonne machine carving through chalk, sand and London clay. A second TBM, named Brunel, is working in conjunction with Hudson. The tunnelling work, 20 m below the surface, is pending the outcome of an inquiry. Hundreds of tonnes of concrete were poured into the 10 m-wide hole. Officials said they knew of the wells but residents accused London and Continental Railways (LCR) of ignoring their warnings. The £5.2 billion CTRL is being constructed in two sections. Work on the 74 km stretch from the Channel tunnel entrance to Fawkham Junction in North Kent began in October 1998. It is now 92% complete and should open next year. The second phase - 39 km between Southfleet, North Kent, and the terminal at St Pancras - got under way in July 2001 and is more than a third finished. Visit www.ctrl.co.uk. 08/03. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has given the go-ahead for tunnelling to restart on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link west to east tunnel between Stratford and Barrington Road (contract C240). Digging work resumed on 30th April after a ground collapse damaged homes and swallowed gardens in Lavender Street, Stratford (east London) last 8th February. The decision has triggered protests from residents who say they have yet to receive any credible explanation as to why the first collapse happened, or guarantees that there will not be a recurrence.In a letter, the HSE says that "further anomalies in the ground ahead of the down line and up line tunnels cannot be ruled out" and adds "We recognise that there is no technique available for reliably determining the location of each and every significant anomaly that may be in this area". The HSE has told the contractors to improve testing and monitoring procedures and to be ready with "emergency procedures in the event of any sudden collapse of ground".The area being tunnelled is dotted with underground wells and streams. There are also believed to be a number of unexploded bombs from the second world war. Work on the 4.5 km stretch of tunnel in Stratford may be especially risky because the plan is now for one EPB tunnelling machine to overtake the other. Previously they were set so that one was always 50 metres behind to avoid too much ground disruption at the same point. One Wirth TBM is still underneath Lavender Street, where the ground collapse occurred. The other machine, which is the first to be reactivated, is 150 metres away, beneath the car park of a warehouse. The machine involved in February's ground collapse is expected to be reactivated in mid-May. 19/03.Second breakthrough completed 2.5 km-long Thames tunnel 50 days ahead of schedule. Hochtief-Murphy jv 8.15 m-diameter Herrenknecht TBM negotiated water-bearing alluvium, terrace gravels and chalk at rates up to 170 m/week at up to 40 m below surface of river. Total 560,000 cu m excavated in two tunnels. Visit www.herrenknecht.com 42/03.Nishimatsu-Cementation Skanska jv has passed the 5 km mark on the 7.5 km-long Stratford tunnels of Contract 220, from which 1.6 million t will be excavated to breakthrough in early-2004. Visit www.ctrl.co.uk 42/03.

5.7 km-long x 2.9 m horseshoe-section Claremont tunnel constructed in 1928 to be emptied and inspected in January, 2001 with a view to designing a seismic improvement programme through the actively creeping portion of the Hayward Fault zone. Project leader Jacobs Associates with Camp, Dresser & McKee, Geomatrix, and Earthquake & Structure Inc. Visit www.jacobssf.com July 2000.The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) selected URS and Jacobs Associates to design the new Irvington tunnel. The 24-month design phase began in August 2006, and the project construction should reach completion in 2013. The existing Irvington tunnel connects the Alameda siphons in the Sunol Valley to the Bay Division Pipelines in Fremont. This 3 m-diameter tunnel runs approximately 5.6 kilometres between two active faults, the Hayward and Calaveras. Approximately 85% of SFPUC water would not reach the San Francisco Bay Area if the current Irvington tunnel ever failed due to an earthquake or other reasons. Built around 1930, it last saw an inspection in 1966. The SFPUC cannot take it out of service without impacting the water supply. The new Irvington tunnel, of a similar size and length, will lie just south of the existing tunnel. Facilities include the new tunnel with initial and final linings, overflow shaft, tunnel portals, and related ancillary appurtenances. The project, estimated to cost approximately USD120 million, likely will use TBM as the preferred excavation method, and a precast concrete segmental lining system. Visit www.urscorp.com, www.jacobssf.com and www.sfwater.org 09/07.

    In design, new interceptor system approximately 16 km-long with i.d. 1.9 m to 2.5 m to replace a portion of existing 70 year-old north outfall sewer. Soft, mixed ground conditions with boulders and featuring high water table. Alignment passes through some contaminated areas and seismically-active faults, so watertight construction techniques mandatory. Jacobs Associates leading team of 16 subconsultants. Visit www.jacobssf.com for progress updates. October 1999.   Capital improvement programme includes construction of a new deep-level 35 km interceptor sewer with internal diameter ranging from 2 m to 4 m. Project to provide additional conveyance capacity for an existing deteriorating sewer that is scheduled for rehabilitation will be constructed concurrently in two phases: 18 km east-west and 17 km north-south. October 1999.   URS Greiner Woodward Clyde is a key member of the Jacobs design team for the NEIS project. Also, through associated firm, Dames & Moore, URS Greiner Woodward Clyde is also providing geotechnical engineering support to the City for the NEIS and ECIS (East Central Interceptor Sewer) projects. Visit www.urscorp.com December 1999.   Frontier-Kemper will undertake 4.2 km drive starting February, 2000 using refurbished CTS TBM (ex Portland, OR) downsized to 6 m diameter. Long Airdox 24 inch conveyor belt pack will be installed in starter tunnel presently under drill/blast development following extensive excavation to establish portal.   Prequalification for 18.4 km-long, 3.35 m-finished diameter North Outfall Sewer – East Central Interceptor Sewer (NOS-ECIS) underway to be notified no later than 17th February, 2000. Contract will be advertised 1st March, 2000 for bids within two months and award 1st July, 2000. Project will be let in one lot and includes 8 shafts, 23 maintenance holes with 8 junction structures, a 90 m-long siphon, 250 m of microtunnelling, and conduits for fibre optics. Multiple new EPB or slurry TBMs required for predominantly soft ground and sandy soils in the Lakewood Formation and hard clay and soft rock in the San Pedro Formation. Isolated occurrence of nested boulders noted. All work above groundwater table. Three faults at Newport, Inglewood and Baldwin Hills. Project contact Baron Miya, e-mail bmiya@eng.ci.la.ca.us January 2000.East Central Interceptor Sewer tenders low bid: Kenny-Kiewit jv $235 million; Shea/Traylor/Frontier Kemper jv $261 million. For contact visit www.kiewit.com and www.frontier-kemper.com July 2000. Rebid award of NORS II project, 18.5 km-long, 4.77 m-diameter interceptor to Kenny/Shea/Traylor and Frontier Kemper Constructors jv at $239 million following withdrawal of Kenny/Kiewit jv. Visit www.frontier-kemper.com December 2000.Lovat will supply four 4.7 m-diameter TBMs to the jv of Kenny, J.F. Shea, Traylor Bros, and Frontier-Kemper for the 18.5 km-long NOS-ECIS project. The machines can operate in EPB, open, or closed modes to bore through the expected soft ground and boulders, with seismically active faults. First delivery is scheduled for October, 2001, and will be the 200th TBM manufactured by Lovat. Visit www.lovat.com 09/01.

  Shea/Traylor/Healy well into contract 2 with 8.3 km of total 19 km of 4.93 m-diameter drive completed using Robbins TBM with CTS backup and now gearing up for contract 3A which involves another 1.34 km using roadheader and TBM. Obayashi/Modern Continental meanwhile have completed over 3.4 km of contract 6054 which comprises 7.82 km of 5 m-diameter rockbolted drive using a CTS TBM. Some 1.2 km was in hard, abrasive rock which necessitated cutter changes at a rate of one every 1.5 m of advance. March 1999.   Contract 242 by Shea/Traylor/Healy has completed 8.75 km drive west to break into shaft constructed by adjacent contractor Obayashi/Modern Continental under separate contract. The latter have advanced 5.9 km using 5.25 m-diameter CTS TBM with 2.26 km to complete. Shea/Traylor/Healy now halfway through their 11 km drive west while also mining 1.4 km TBM/roadheader drive under contract CP3A. Sept 1999.  Obayashi/Modern Continental reports mining in difficult ground through a fault zone on contract 6054 with 6.4 km of the total 8.15 km completed. Grouting with steel sets and wire mesh lagging. November 1999.At 31st October, 2001, work was well underway on the 28.6 km MetroWest water supply tunnel (MWWST). The 7.9 km western tunnel segment CP-1 from Shaft E in Southborough to the 62.8 m-deep Shaft D in Marlborough was 79% completed by the Obayashi/Modern Continental jv using a TBM. The contractor completed the excavation of the tunnel in July, 2000. From Shaft D, the MWWST will connect to the Walnut Hill water treatment plant and to the existing Cosgrove tunnel. Tunnel concrete lining operation began in December, 2000 and by end-October 2001, over 4.1 km of the tunnel has been lined which represents a 53% completion. Over the next few months, the contractor will carry on with the tunnel lining and the grouting operations in the lined section. Work on the CP-1 segment is about seven days behind schedule. Completion is expected for April, 2003. Contract value is $149.7 million. Visit www.obayashi.co.jp and www.moderncontinental.comThe 19.1 km middle tunnel segment CP-2 in Southborough, Framingham, Wayland and Weston was 84% completed by a jv of Shea, Traylor Bros., and Healy. It was tunnelled in two directions using two TBMs from the 123.7 m-deep Shaft L. The 8.5 km west heading tunnel was completed in July, 1999 with 1,280 metres lined with concrete on 31st October, 2001. The 10.6 km east heading tunnel was bored under Dudley Pond in Wayland and past the interconnections at Shafts NE and NW in Weston continues eastward to the eastern tunnel segment. It was completed in May, 2000. The contractor has currently lined 7 km, 66% complete. The raise boring excavation of Shaft NE, 4 m in diameter x 131 m-deep, was completed on 19th November, 2001. It is the last shaft on the MWWST project. Work on the CP-2 segment is on schedule for completion in April, 2003. Contract value is $254.5 million. Visit www.traylor.com and www.sahealy.com The 1.4 km eastern tunnel segment CP-3A connects the CP-2 segment with Shaft 5A, at the east end of the system, where it will connect to the existing Boston city tunnel to the south and with the 96 m-deep Shaft W and storage tanks to the north. Excavation of the tunnel was completed at spring 2000 by the same jv as CP-2. Concrete lining ended in February, 2001. Since then, 670 metres of 3.05-3.7 m pipes to connect Shaft 5A to the city tunnel is in progress. This contract will be completed in July, 2002. Value is $56.9 million. Visit www.mwra.state.ma.us/water/html/metrow.htm for a full project overview. 03/02.