Prequalification for construction of section of Asti-Cuneo motorway with 800 m-long twin-tube tunnel. Contact ANAS, fax +39 0644 56224. Visit www.enteanas.it 39/01.Work has started on several sections of the Asti-Cuneo motorway while others, now in the planning phase, have been approved. Between Consovero di Margarita and Cuneo (subsections 1.3 to 1.6), Lot 1.5 includes two artificial tunnels (932 and 119 m). Between Guarene and Roddi (subsection 2.5), a 1 km twin tunnel is planned under river Tanaro. Between Roddi and diga Enel (subsection 2.6), the 3,538 m Verduno tunnel will be driven, a twin tube with 2,984 m bored plus 495 m in cut-and-cover on the Cuneo side and 59 m on the Asti side. Each tube will feature two 3.75 m-wide lanes, and a safety lane of 3 m. Visit www.provincia.cuneo.it and www.enteanas.it 11/02.Autostrada Asti-Cuneo - including Salt, Grassetto Lavori and Itinera - won the concession contract for the Asti-Cuneo motorway A33. These three companies hold 65% of the new concession company while ANAS, the public road administration, holds 35%. The 90 km Asti-Cuneo motorway has been divided into 16 subsections, worth EUR1.6 billion. ANAS has financed seven of these subsections, either already opened or nearing end. The new concessionaire will finance, build and operate the remaining nine subsections. The subsections to be constructed by the new concessionaire are: 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 on section 1 and 2.5, 2.6, 2.1A, 2.1B and 2.1.Dir on section 2. The subsections financed by ANAS are: 1.1 and 1.2 (both opened in July 2005) on section 1 and 2.2, 2.3A, 2.4, 2.7 and 2.8 on section 2 (all under construction). The concession has not taken effect yet, the contract has still to be signed. Construction of the tunnels commissioned to the concessionaire has not commenced. The subsections financed by ANAS will be transferred to the new concesionaire once their construction is finished.The project includes several tunnels: Sant'Albano (2 x 180 m) and Mercatale (2 x 621 m), both on subsection 1.5 (Cuneo slip road), Alba (3,527 m / 3,356 m) on subsection 2.5 Guarene-Roddi and Verduno (4,023 m / 4,119 m) on subsection 2.6 Roddi-Diga Enel. The Roreto tunnel (800 m / 650 m) is under construction on subsection 2.8 Cherasco-Marene toll plaza on the A6, financed by ANAS. All are mined tunnels except the cut-and-cover Sant'Albano tunnel. The Alba tunnel will cross river Tanaro.The mined length of the Roreto tunnel spans 645 m for each bore. Progress on the first tube has reached 77% (500 m), the second is 48% complete (310 m). The cut-and-cover part is finished. The contractor is CMB (Cooperativa Muratori e Braccianti di Carpi). Visit www.cmbcarpi.itFor tunnelling, two Hitachi ZAXIS 350 excavators are used. The face is supported with 60 18 m-long glass fibre bolts, injected at low pressure with expansive grout, and umbrella vaults formed by 41 FE510 steel pipes, 14 m long, installed around the crown. The contour is supported with 55 18 m-long glass fibre bolts, injected with low pressure expansive grout. The wall base is supported with 10 14 m-long glass fibre bolts, injected with low pressure expansive grout. Six forepoles are implemented at the face as excavation progresses (length of 30 m) with overlap of 10-20 m minimum. Steel arches (type 2IPN) are subsequently installed every metre, then wire mesh, steel fibre-reinforced shotcrete around the contour (thickness 25 cm) and at the face (thickness 10 cm). The minimum dosage is 30 kg/cu m. The suppliers are Ellas Geotecnica for the expansive grouts and glass fibre bolts at the face, Calcestruzzi (Italcementi Group) for the concrete and shotcrete, Metallegno for the steel arches, wire mesh and steel profiles in general and Maccaferri for the steel fibres to reinforce the shotcrete. Visit www.hcme.com, www.calcestruzzi.it, www.metallegno.com, www.maccaferri.com and www.provincia.cuneo.it/llpp/grandi_infrastrutture/autostrade.jsp 52/05-01/06.