Abstract
AbstractThis paper discusses the concept and the practical experiences of excavating an under‐river crossing with a slurry shield (D = 13.45 m) to construct a single‐tube road tunnel. Unstable sand and gravel as well as harder chalk zones in the invert area combined with high groundwater pressure require the tunnel face to be actively supported at all times. Over long stretches the overburden to the river bed is only around 0.5 D, which means that a delicate balance has to be struck between achieving the minimum support pressure required to stabilise the tunnel face while at the same time preventing blow‐out. An innovative segment sealing system with integrated expanding insert combined with a push‐fit dowel system achieves a high degree of protection from moisture and voids. The evacuation and rescue concept for the single‐tube road tunnel is based on a refuge running under the carriageway. This evacuation channel is accessed via staircases in recesses at the side. Ground freezing is used to stabilise the sand during excavation of the recesses at around 4 bar water pressure.
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