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

  • Paving with recycled waste in South Africa
    November 28, 2022
    Trials have been completed successfully using asphalt manufactured with recycled waste plastic in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Simon Tetley, of VNA Consulting and ARRB Systems, explains the process.
  • Copy of New Midtown Tunnel open in Virginia
    January 30, 2017
    A project to construct the second Midtown Tunnel link in the US state of Virginia alongside the original connection has taken an important step forward – Mike Woof writes Commuters in the US state of Virginia will be pleased that the new Midtown Tunnel is now open to traffic, as it will help to boost capacity and cut congestion on the busy US 58 route connecting Norfolk and Portsmouth. The 1.13km tunnel link has been built to link with the interchange at Brambleton Avenue and Hampton Boulevard in Norfolk
  • German bridge demolition work assisted by Liebherr
    May 9, 2022
    Construction equipment from Liebherr has played an important role in the project to demolish a bridge in Germany.
  • 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