Challenges of tunnelling in an urban area with shallow cover

Senthilnath G T

Shallow tunnels benefit from low short-term construction costs and long-term operational costs. However, tunnelling in shallow overburden, particularly in soft ground conditions, comes with its own host of problems. Hence identifying the geotechnical risk, choosing an appropriate design approach and construction method, and more importantly, implementing a proper monitoring plan by professionally trained tunnelling engineers on site is critically important for successfully excavating shallow tunnels in an urban area. This talk will discuss these challenges using some of the case study projects recently published by the presenter.

Joint AGS (QLD) and Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) QLD Local Association event.

Engineers Australia members participating in AGS technical sessions can record attendance on their personal CPD logs. Members should refer to Engineers Australia CPD policy for details on CPD types, requirements and auditing guidelines.