Our tunnelling experience covers all types of rock – from the chalk
of the English Channel to Hong Kong’s hard granite and the basalt
of the Lesotho Highlands in southern Africa. Mott MacDonald
projects have utilised drill and blast techniques, TBMs and NATM to
construct rock tunnels for railways, metro systems, highways,
sewerage and hydropower schemes. Linings for these tunnels have
ranged from spot-bolting systems to steel and reinforced concrete
for pressure tunnels associated with hydropower development.
Construction of
26km of 2-5m diameter tunnels for Hong Kong’s Strategic Sewage
Disposal Scheme involved six TBM drives
Our leading edge skills in design and analysis have resulted in the
successful construction of major underground caverns for a variety
of uses, including the undersea crossover cavern for the Channel
Tunnel, and powerhouse developments for a number of hydropower
projects.
Some of our specialist services include assessing rock quality and
hardness, designing rock support systems and predicting penetration
rates. We also direct and interpret site investigations, conduct
geophysical surveys, specify TBMs, supervise construction and
provide services in project programming and cost estimating.
Iceland’s
Kárahnjúkar hydropower project involves 60km of 7.6m diameter rock
tunnels – 33km built by TBM, the rest by drill and blast
Notable rock tunnel projects engineered by Mott MacDonald
include:
- Boston Harbour Outfall Tunnel, USA
- Channel Tunnel, UK/France
- Lesotho Highlands Water Project
- A20 Round Hill Highway Tunnel, UK
- Dinorwig pumped storage scheme, UK
- Strategic Sewage Disposal Scheme, Hong Kong
- Sg Kelinchi Transfer Tunnel, Malaysia
- Bosphorus Strait Water Transfer Tunnels, Turkey
- Route 10 Highway Tunnels, Hong Kong
- East Side Access to Grand Central Station, New York, USA
- Kárahnjúkar hydropower project, Iceland
