Tunneling Solutions provides tunnel engineering design and construction observation services throughout the western United States. Our breadth of experience is associated with small to medium sized tunnels (up to 16-foot diameter) in the water, wastewater, energy, and transportation markets with construction budgets up to $20M. Typical projects include stormwater tunnels beneath busy highways, water pipeline tunnels beneath rivers and streams, and sewer tunnels in congested urban environments. Some typical project descriptions are provided below:
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Pipeline 3 Tunnel Relocation at SR 125 (San Diego, CA). Ms. Ganse was lead designer for this project, which consisted of 1,200 LF of 72-inch diameter welded steel water pipeline. Re-design of a major highway interchange (SR 125 and SR 24) required relocation of one of the pipelines of the Second San Diego Aqueduct. The tunnel was constructed through variable geologic conditions, including hard meta-andesite and soft rock of the Sweetwater Formation using a rock TBM, roadheader, and drill and blast methods. A challenging component of the project was crossing beneath the existing water pipeline with only 5- to 6-feet of cover. Project deliverables included a design report, geotechnical report, specifications, drawings, and engineer's estimate of probable construction cost.
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Alice Tatnall Storm Sewer Project (Savannah, GA). Ms. Ganse served as lead tunnel inspector for this project, which consisted of 2,700 LF of 54-inch diameter storm sewer pipeline. Multiple sections of tunnel were installed through flowing sands in historic downtown Savannah using microtunneling. Settlement tolerances were very low in the historic district, and construction disruptions had to be minimized due to the thriving tourism business.
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I-70 Twin Tunnels Study (Idaho Springs, CO). Ms. Ganse performed a feasibility study for this project, which focused on methods of widening the existing twin bores along I-70 outside of Idaho Springs. Rock boring was performed along with geological mapping to characterize the rock mass. The rock characteristics were applied to three rock mass classification systems (Terzaghi's Tunnelman's Classification, RMR, and Q) to develop an understanding of the anticipated ground behavior during tunneling as well as corresponding excavation and initial support recommendations for the feasible options.
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