Tunnel driven by TBM

A major tunnel drive has been carried out by a TBM in Italy.
By MJ Woof August 7, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
A TBM built by Herrenknecht has set new records for its tunnel drive in Italy

The largest tunnel boring machine (TBM) ever used successfully in Europe has now completed its drive in Italy. The earth pressure balance (EPB) shield TBM features a diameter of 15.87m and was built by Herrenknecht in Schwanau, Southern Germany.

The TBM bored 7,551m for a new highway tunnel through the Italian Apennines. In cooperation with the customer, Herrenknecht designed a new system for the machine, to protect particularly the site crew from the expected methane gas deposits in the ground.

The machine was configured to the specifications of the customer, Pavimental. Working with the contractor, the Herrenknecht team tailored the TBM to the requirements of the project. A key feature was the warning and protection system to reliably protect the site crew against methane gas deposits predicted underground during the advance.

The large three-lane Santa Lucia tunnel newly excavated by the Herrenknecht EPB Shield is a key section of the new A1 highway route between Bologna and Florence. This will replace the old and winding highway with its dangerous curved. The tunnel will reduce the risk of crashes as well as travel times and the fuel consumption the thousands of vehicles that will use the link each day.

Following 12 months of design and assembly, the EPB Shield was ready at Herrenknecht in Schwanau for acceptance by the contractor and representatives of the client, Autostrade per l’Italia.

After the start of tunnelling in July 2017, the Pavimental miners drove up to 122m of tunnel/week through the Apennine mountain range with the 4,800tonne machine. During the long drive over 7.5km, the EPB machine with its large diameter of 15.87 meters excavated a total of around 1.5 million m3 of soil and rock. The TBM has a shield diameter of 15,870mm, an installed power of 8,750kW and was used in geological conditions featuring limestone, marl, siltstone, shale and sandstone.

With the production of the Santa Lucia machine, Herrenknecht beat the existing European record for TBM diameter of 15.55m. It had been held since 2010 by the Herrenknecht EPB Shield for the Sparvo tunnel, also for the expansion of the A1 motorway in Italy.

Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • EC Harris appointed by Ecomouv consortium for Ecotaxe system
    April 24, 2012
    EC Harris, the global built asset consultancy, has been appointed by the Ecomouv consortium to monitor construction progress, expenditure and testing on the new French Ecotaxe truck tolling system which is scheduled to be introduced across the country by mid-2013. The Ecotaxe scheme will see a levy imposed on all French and foreign heavy good vehicles (HGV) that travel along the 15,000km of national and departmental roads throughout France. Each HGV subject to the tax will have technology installed onboard
    Read More
  • Kapsch secures deal for Westgate Tunnel tolling roadside systems
    June 4, 2019
    Kapsch TrafficCom Australia will deliver the tolling roadside system for the West Gate Tunnel Project under construction in Melbourne, Australia. Kapsch TrafficCom Australia was contracted by CPB Contractors John Holland Joint Venture to deliver the technology. It will be based upon the company’s single gantry multilane free-flow platform and next-generation stereoscopic vision technology for both vehicle detection and classification as well as automatic number plate recognition. “Almost 20 years ago Kaps
    Read More
  • Scotland’s new Queensferry Crossing over the Forth Estuary
    December 23, 2015
    The new Queensferry Crossing under construction in Scotland will be the third landmark bridge spanning the Forth Estuary - Mike Woof writes When the new Queensferry Crossing over the Forth Estuary opens at the end of 2016, it will be the third landmark bridge to be built spanning this short stretch of water. Lying alongside the existing road bridge and the historic rail bridge, this new structure will be as groundbreaking as the two earlier crossings were at the time of their construction.
    Read More
  • GPS machine control paves the way for Turkish canal
    February 7, 2012
    GPS machine control for earthworks and concrete paving is helping to fast track construction of an irrigation canal in Turkey - Claire Symes reports. The Turkish economy is expected to flourish as a result of construction of a new irrigation channel currently underway in the east of the country. This canal is benefiting from the latest concrete paving and earthmoving technology and will bring with it prosperity to a deprived area of the country. But the project is already taking the lead in terms of Turkish
    Read More

Highlighted Content