Open invitation to tender, deadline 27th August, 2001, for NATM construction of railway tunnel for Metro Lisboa, fax +351 213 574908. Visit www.metrolisboa.pt 35/01.

Open invitation to tender, deadline 19th July, 2001, for construction of hydro plant with 4.1 km-long x 3 m-diameter tunnel for IHERA, Lisbon, fax +351 218 442202. 26/01.

Restricted invitation to tender for design of tunnel between Leca and Matosinhos, deadline 18th September, 2000. Contact APDL, Leca da Palmeira, fax +351 229 964605 or visit http://ted.eur-op.eu.int August 2000.

Portuguese-Spanish consortium Scutvias has won the concession to design, build and operate new 176 km-long motorway connecting Abrantes and Guarda in north-east. Five new tunnels required up to 1.65 km long. Construction to start this month. More from www.mottmac.com May 2000.

Invitation to tender for engineering design of 33 km-long road link in central Portugal to include two tunnels of 2.2 km and 1.8 km. Ministry of Public Works, Lisbon. April 2000. Construction of 300 m-long twin-tube Ramela tunnel underway by Dragados using NATM techniques with second 1.6 km-long tube of Gardunha 1A to follow. Barracao 355 m-long cut and cover also to be built. Concessionaire is Scutvias consortium of Acestrada/Dragados/Sopol/Ramalho Rosa Cobetar/Epos and Coba. Visit www.dragados.es October 2000.  New road parallels existing N 339 through Serra da Estrela Natural Park. Third tunnel at Manteigas will be 8.6 km-long and bi-directional with 9 m-wide carriageway and 4.7 m clear headroom. Visit www.obrigado.com 07/01.

  Contractor EPOS driving twin 900 m x 75 m² tubes in weathered granite using umbrella drilling where necessary. Two Atlas Copco L2C drillrigs carry out all drilling for blasting, rockbolts, and umbrellas, the latter using 64 mm bits on extension steel. Steel arches, Swellex 4 m rockbolts and shotcrete form main support. More information from pdc@epos.pt . October 1999.

Diversion tunnel 450 m-long, 5 m-diameter as part of dam construction scheme. Contact Instituto da Agua, fax +351 184 80825 before 20th October, 1999. Sept 1999.

Connection between Funcho and Oudelouca dams planned by Instituto da Agua should be awarded late-2000. Traditional excavation with rockbolts and shotcrete for 8.3 km-long, 3 m-diameter tunnel expected to commence February, 2001 at budgeted cost of $20 million. October 1999. Open tendering for 8.15 km-long, 3 m-diameter headrace tunnel, deadline 21st May, 2000. Contact Instituto de Agua, Lisbon fax +351 2184 80825. Note change of area code. April 2000.  Award of design/build contract for 8.1 km-long, 2.3 m-diameter aqueduct to consortium of Spie Batignolles, Rosa Ramalho Cobetar, and Etermar. Visit www.inag.pt 19/01.Spie Batignolles Europe reports completion of tunnelling and good progress with 2.4 m-diameter concrete lining using 3 x 24 m-long CIFA formworks. 8 km-long tunnel was completed in 15 months using a Terratec-refurbished Robbins 3 m-diameter hardrock TBM and Clayton 8t battery locomotives with Valente rolling stock. TBM averaged 27.5 m/day, with best day of 96.8 m and best month of 1,062 m. Heavily folded schistose ground and 258 m-wide fault negotiated with 1.8 m-long Swellex bolts, steel arches and shotcrete applied using Aliva 262 and 246 machines. More from www.spiebatignolles.fr/entreprise/europe.asp 38/03.

Invitation to tender for 800 m-long, 75 sq m tunnel, deadline 9th October, 1999. Contact REFER, fax +351 181 12016. Sept 1999.  Four consortia have prequalified for the design/construct contract for the 800 m x 75 sq m single-tube Penalva rail tunnel. They are Empresa Portuguesa de Obras Subterraneas Lda, Somague Engenharia SA with Bento Pedros Constructors SA, Spie Batignolles with FCC, and Zagope. EPOS can be contacted through pdc@epos.pt and FCC is at www.fcc.es April 2000.Award of 800 m-long Penalva tunnel in sandy ground made to Zagope who may decide to use Perforex precutter method. Completion expected within 14 months. Visit www.zagope.pt July 2000.

Invitation to tender for 2 km tunnel. August 1999.  Tender for four 7 sq m tunnels of lengths 700 m, 2 km, 2.7 km, and 4.8 km and 40,000 cu m water tank. Instituto de Gestao de Agua, fax +351 912 01021. Sept 1999.