EBP-TBM tunneling versus Microtunneling – pros and cons to select the right technology

Giuseppe Maria Gaspari, Tamara Kondrachova

In the proceedings of: GeoEdmonton 2018: 71st Canadian Geotechnical Conference; 13th joint with IAH-CNC

Session: Tunnelling in Urban Environments

ABSTRACT: Mechanized tunneling has been rapidly increasing its popularity all over Canada and, in particular, in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), where the intense urbanization of the last two decades limits the other technologies applicability. In the past, most of the municipal infrastructure tunnels including sewage trunk sewers were built by conventional methods and open cuts requiring significant disturbance to the areas of construction. These methods were chosen as projects were normally located within vacant lands and existing corridors. However, conventional methods and open cuts often associate with multiple impacts including and not limited to dewatering and discharge, property acquisitions, traffic disturbance, significant noise and vibration issues.

RÉSUMÉ: La construction de tunnels mécanisés a rapidement gagné en popularité partout au Canada et, en particulier, dans la région du grand Toronto (RGT), où l'urbanisation intense des deux dernières décennies limite l'applicabilité des autres technologies. Dans le passé, la plupart des tunnels municipaux d'infrastructure, y compris les égouts collecteurs d'eaux usées, étaient construits selon des méthodes conventionnelles et les coupes à ciel ouvert exigeaient des perturbations importantes dans les zones de construction. Ces méthodes ont été choisies, car les projets étaient normalement situés dans des terrains vacants et des corridors existants. Cependant, les méthodes conventionnelles et les coupes ouvertes s'associent souvent à de multiples impacts, y compris, sans s'y limiter, l'assèchement et le déversement, les acquisitions de propriétés, les perturbations du trafic, les problèmes importants de bruit et de vibration.

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