Unexpected problems delay Swiss highway project

A highway project looks set to face extended delays in its construction due to the discovery of contaminated land. A two year highway project planned in the canton Valais will now take considerably longer to complete due to the unexpected discovery of mercury contamination on the site. The contamination is historic and appears to be the result of disposal carried out by a local chemicals firm in the 1930s, when there were few controls over what could be dumped. The company had tipped its chemical waste into
November 28, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
A highway project looks set to face extended delays in its construction due to the discovery of contaminated land. A two year highway project planned in the canton Valais will now take considerably longer to complete due to the unexpected discovery of mercury contamination on the site. The contamination is historic and appears to be the result of disposal carried out by a local chemicals firm in the 1930s, when there were few controls over what could be dumped. The company had tipped its chemical waste into a canal but the scale of the contamination has yet to be fully assessed. The project requires some 240,000m3 of earthmoving work and at this early stage, it looks as if some 20,000m3 will have to be treated. The chemicals firm is still in business and will pay for the extra decontamination work necessary. However, the issue does highlight the problem of historic contamination dating from when environmental controls were less thorough than at present. With the need to re-use many former industrial sites for infrastructure work in developed nations, this type of problem is likely to resurface on a regular basis.

Related Content

  • CECE Summit – is Europe ready for a digital construction worksite?
    November 20, 2015
    The CECE has voiced his concern over government regulations that could strangle innovation for the digitalisation of construction machinery. China’s imploding economy was another topic at the recent conference in Brussels, reports David Arminas. The CECE has urged the European Parliament and European Commission to enact legislation that promotes rather than hinders the construction sector’s transition to a digitalised way of working. “We need a smart regulatory framework that helps to unlock the full poten
    Read More
  • Towers of power: California’s Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement
    May 8, 2019
    Challenging ground conditions meant a design rethink - and some engineering firsts - for California’s Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project* The Port of Long Beach on Terminal Island south of Los Angeles is the second-busiest container port in the US. It handles around 15% of all imported goods, much of it with Asia. As the Port of Long Beach was growing in importance over the past half century, the 51-year-old Gerald Desmond Bridge has faithfully been delivering thousands of daily commuters to wo
    Read More
  • Speedy airport upgrade
    February 15, 2012
    Increases in flight numbers from the Frankfurt Hahn airport have resulted in necessary improvements to the facility, including new runway surfaces. The former German military airbase has been used as a civilian airport since 1993 but is now Germany's fifth largest air cargo hub and handles some 40,000 flights/year.
    Read More
  • Costa Rica road project delay
    November 29, 2024
    A key Costa Rica road project faces delays and questions.
    Read More

Highlighted Content