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Bluewater Quarry Haulage Tunnels

Owner
Lend Lease (land owned by Blue Circle)
Client
Costain Civil Engineering
Service Performed
Detailed design and construction supervision
Commencement - Services
October 24, 1995
Completion - Services
November 29, 1995
Location
Nr. Dartford
Kent
United Kingdom
Technical data

Twin tunnels, 26 ft (8 m) span, length: 246 ft (75 m); 8 inch (200 mm) reinforced single pass shotcrete lining, 10 year design life.

Geology description

Head deposits overlying upper Chalk. Grades III/II at tunnel elevation.

Geology types
Hard rock
Categories
Rural Highway Tunnel
Final cost
$500,000
Service areas
Tunnel Design & Specialities
Marking of the future Tunnel Portals
Start of Excavation
Top Heading Reinforcement
Invert Reinforcement
Tunnel Portals during Excavation
Muck Traffic
Top Heading Final Lining
Installing of wire mesh
Preparation of portal
Fixing of reinforcement in invert
Top Heading excavation

Cumberland Gap Tunnels

Owner
Federal Highway Administration, Federal Lands Division
Client
Benesch & Co., Chicago, IL; Vaugh & Melton, Middlesboro, KY
Service Performed
Value engineering studies on the structural design and ventilation design; specification and on-site inspection services.
Commencement - Services
September 01, 1990
Completion - Services
December 30, 1994
Location
330 W Broadway St # 264
Tennessee, KY 40601
United States
Technical data

Twin tube highway tunnels, 12 m x 9 m x 1249 m long. Constructed using NATM support categories Type I through IV. Remedial waterproofing system installed between shotcrete linng and final cast-in-place concrete lining.

Geology description

Quartz sandstone, siltstone, shale, mudstone (natural caverns).

Geology types
Hard rock
Description

The Cumberland Gap Tunnels are two dual-lane highway tunnels with a length of 1300m each, connecting Kentucky and Tennessee through the Cumberland Mountains. Because of the complex, variable geology and economic considerations, the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) was chosen. The tunnel design included five excavation and support classes with rock dowels, lattice girders and reinforced shotcrete as primary lining. The final lining for the twin tunnels and 13 cross passageways was designed as cast-in-place (CIP) concrete with a flexible membrane waterproofing system.

Activity
Execution
Categories
Rural Highway Tunnel
Final cost
$85,000,000
Service areas
Site Supervision & CM, QA/QC
North portal
Cross passage CIP lining reinforcement and exposed waterproofing
Waterproofing System and CIP Final Lining
Tunnel Top Heading Excavation
Halmer Hans
Typical Cross Section
North Portal
Top Heading Excavation
Waterproofing Membrane and Reinforcement
Finished Waterproofing System and Final Lining
Cross Passage CIP Lining Reinforcement
oncoming traffic from manwalk in southbound tube of Cumberland Gap Tunnel. Taken in Sept 2002 by N. Wageley
Finished South Portal, Cumberland Gap Tunnels, KY/TN Taken 09-2002 by N. Wageley (film)
Project number
091E
Final cost
$85 million USD

Lehigh Tunnels

Owner
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commision
Client
GSGSB Clarks Summit
Service Performed
NATM design, instrumentation and construction supervision services; waterproofing system design and rehabilitation support services.
Commencement - Services
March 25, 1987
Completion - Services
December 25, 1991
Location
Route 283, Eisenhower Blvd
Allentown, PA 17034
United States
Technical data

New highway tunnel, two lanes, 28 ft (8.5 m) x 40 ft (12.1 m) x 4,265 ft (1300 m). Constructed using NATM with drill and blast excavation measures. Installation of PVC membrane and thermal insulation in air duct of the 50 year old, two lane road tunnel during rehabilitation. Tunnel lenght: 4,138 ft (1260 m); waterproofed area: 117,000 sqft (10870 m²).

Geology description

Sandstone, shale, siltstone.

Geology types
Hard rock
Description

The Lehigh Tunnel No.2, part of a 4-lane motorway running East-West through Pennsylvania, was one of the first tunnels in the US built using NATM. Capacity problems of Lehigh Tunnel No.1 caused delays during peak times. The new tunnel was excavated using top heading, bench and invert excavation with shotcrete support. To achieve a completely dry tunnel a PVC membrane was installed between primary shotcrete lining and the final cast-in-place lining. Tunnel rehabilitation including the installation of a PVC membrane and thermal insulation in the air duct was performed to the original tunnel.

Activity
Design
Categories
Rural Highway Tunnel, Tunnel Rehabilitation
Final cost
$25,000,000
Service areas
Rehabilitation & Tunnel Widening, Waterproofing & Water Control
Ventilation duct with ice build-up
Installation of waterproofing system
Typical Cross Section
View of exisiting Tunnel Portal
Preparing Tunnel Portal to start Excavation
Tunnel Face with Shot Holes ready to blast
Formwork for Cast-in-Place Final Lining
Final Lining and Invert Drain Trench
Lehigh Tunnel No. 2 - Completed Southbound Portal
Lehigh Tunnel No. 1 - before Rehabilitation
Frozen Water Leakage in Upper Air Duct
Drainage
Lehigh Portals Tunnel No. 1 (left) and the new Tunnel No. 2
Preparations
Spiles and anchor
Spiles and anchors
seeping water
Profile check
Carrier
Essembling the formwork
Incident doing form essembling
Glossy tunnel walls
Glossy tunneling
Finished tunnel
Reinforcement of roadway
Pipes
Northportal
Lehigh Tunnel #1 & #2 South Portal
Project number
115D
Final cost
$25 million USD

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