Sapae Tunnel Breaks Through in South KoreaSohn Hak-rae, president of the Korea Highway Corporation, executives from GS Engineering and Construction (ex LG Engineering and Construction) and government officials celebrated the completion of the Sapae tunnel on 13th July, 2005. After a delay of two and a half years, caused by protests from Buddhist monks and environmental groups, tunnelling of this controversial tunnel in the city of Uijoengbu finally ended. The Sapae tunnel goes through Mount Bukhan National Park. Buddhists had insisted that the tunnel construction would disturb the practice of their religion, while environmentalists argued that it would cause damage to the national park. The Sapae tunnel is part of a beltway circling Seoul and connecting satellite cities. It is expected to reduce traffic congestion in and around the capital. Most of the beltway, passing through Toegyewon, Pangyo, Pyeongchon and Ilsan, is already in use. Due to the protests, the last 36.3 kilometres, including the tunnel, have yet to be completed. The tunnel is expected to shorten the drive from Ilsan to Toegyewon, northwest and northeast of Seoul respectively, by about an hour. Tunnelling began in 2001, but was stopped only five months later. It is a twin-tube tunnel of 3,993 m (Ilsan direction) and 3,971 m (Toigyeweon direction). Each tube is 40 m distant and accommodates four lanes. The excavated section is 170.04 sq m and the inner section 134.85 sq m. Almost the entire length crosses the Seoul granite, which intrudes Precambrian banded biotite gneiss. Seoul granite contains many xenoliths which formed when the intrusion took place in the Jurassic period. To ensure a safe, efficient and economical tunnel blasting, GS Engineering and Construction introduced bulk type explosives instead of cartridges and a new blasting method, the so-called SAV-CUT method. The bulk explosives are made by Dyno Nobel (new Emulite 1000 supplied by Koryo Nobel Explosives). Another supplier of explosives is Hanwa of Korea. Visit www.dynonobel.com and www.koryoexp.co.kr/english/eng_main.htmFour tunnel faces are excavated simultaneously from both sides of the twin tunnel. Four drilling jumbos are used, two Atlas Copco three-boom XL3 C and two Tamrock three-boom Axera T11. The top heading of the tunnel was completed on 6th July, 2005 and the excavation of the benches is now progressing and will be finished in October. Progress has reached 55%. For support, tunnelling crews install 5 m-long bolts, steel fibre-reinforced shotcrete in 5 to 20 cm-thick layers and steel arches in excavation types 5 and 6. Two loaders (capacity 5 cu m) and dumper trucks (Caterpillar machines) are used for mucking-out. Visit www.atlascopco.com, www.tamrock.sandvik.com and www.cat.comThe expected opening date is 1st June, 2007. The total construction costs of the tunnel is about USD135 million. Read E-News Weekly 51/2003 & 41/2003. Visit www.lgenc.co.kr 33-34/05.