Skip to main content

Liebherr's tunnelling twins

Contractor Marti Tunnelbau has carried out work on the A16 road construction project in the Swiss canton of Jura with help from its Liebherr LB28 and LB36 piling rigs.
February 13, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
A Swiss tunneling job was carried out with precision and productivity with help coming from two Liebherr piling rigs as well as other Liebherr machines
Contractor Marti Tunnelbau has carried out work on the A16 road construction project in the Swiss canton of Jura with help from its Liebherr LB28 and LB36 piling rigs.

The two 718 Liebherr drilling rigs were used to install a secant pile wall for slope and foundation pit reinforcement.

The 3.3km Tunnel de Choindez is being built between the border of Jura and Delémont to the east, and the link is due to open in 2016.

Both Liebherr units are working at the 300m-long northern entrance, while two Liebherr crawler cranes (an HS835 and an HS841) as well as a Liebherr R944 crawler excavator are being used for other work at the site.

The tunnel requires the installation of 20,000 linear metres of piles to form a secant drilled pile wall within 9 months. The 1,020 piles vary in length from 13-26m, with diameters of 1m. The soil on site consists of sandstone and marl layers. The machines have conventional Kelly-type shock absorbers with springs and hydraulic dampers to prevent damage to the material and to reduce noise emissions. Exchangeable drive adapters provide compatibility with other Kelly bar dimensions.

Due to their low operating weight of around 95tonnes for the LB28 and 115tonnes for the LB36 as well as the comparatively compact design, the machines were transported to the site quickly while set-up times were also fast. And due to the high performance of the LB rigs and the efficient project management, the job at the Courrendlin site was completed well ahead of the projected deadline.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New Moscow bus terminal
    June 25, 2018
    Construction work for a new bus terminal in Moscow is benefiting from the assistance of eight items of construction equipment from Liebherr. In all, the project is using seven crawler cranes and a piling ring that have been supplied by Liebherr for the work. This urban construction project is for an ultra-modern bus terminal, which will feature a capacity of 15,000 passengers/day. Approximately 1,600 bus services are expected/day and at peak times the facility will handle 1,000 passengers/hour. The new bus
  • Drilling rig meets the utility supply challenge
    April 11, 2012
    A tricky utility supply project has been carried out in difficult conditions in Germany, without disturbing a village access road. The drilling work for the project was operated by boring contractor Beermann and the site was located on a plateau some 5km from the nearest village.
  • Drilling rig meets the utility supply challenge
    May 9, 2012
    A tricky utility supply project has been carried out in difficult conditions in Germany, without disturbing a village access road. The drilling work for the project was operated by boring contractor Beermann and the site was located on a plateau some 5km from the nearest village.
  • Switzerland’s new tunnel bore being built
    April 19, 2018
    A major new road tunnel project is being constructed in Switzerland – Mike Woof writes Construction work is now underway in Switzerland for the new Belchen Tunnel bore, a project that has resulted from the country’s long-term infrastructure planning. The building of this latest tunnel is important for Switzerland economically as it will deliver an upgraded link for a major transport infrastructure connection. When it is complete, the tunnel will form part of the vital A2 route between Basel, in the north