The ITA Association has chosen the 50 most iconic tunnels of the last 50 years
The World Tunnel Congress 2024 was held in April, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the ITA (International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association), and took place in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. In the context of this congress, this Association selected the 50 best tunnel designs built over the course of these 50 years of existence, based on innovation, dimensions, importance at local level, and experience gained through construction.
The selection, reflected in a commemorative video and book, has been called the ’50 most iconic tunnels in the world’, among which several of the TYPSA Group´s achievements can be found. Spanish engineering, through the Association of Tunnels and Underground Works (AETOS) presented several significant tunnel projects carried out in Spain, from which the tunnels for the Madrid Metro extension in the period 1995-1999, and those for the underground section of the Madrid M30 ring road, were chosen. Brazil presented, among others, the Porto Maravilha tunnel complex in Rio de Janeiro, in which the subsidiary Engecorps participated. and which has also been included in the selection of the 50 most emblematic tunnels of the last 50 years.
The extension of the Madrid Metro between 1995 and 1999
As an unprecedented development of the network, with 56.3km of new lines, of which 38km are tunnels, the extension hosts 38 new stations and 4 new connections to the commuter train network. Several Spanish engineering and construction companies participated in the design, construction and supervision of the works. TYPSA participated significantly during this period, intervening in the design and supervision of 32km of lines and 15 stations, which include:
- Design of El Lago to Principe Pío on Line 10 underground section.
- Detailed design of Line 7 extension from Guzmán el Bueno to Virgen de la Paloma.
- Supervision of Line 4 extension from Esperanza to Virgen de la Paloma.
- Design review and monitoring and supervision of quality assurance for the works of Line 9 extension to Arganda.
- Supervision of Line 8 extension from Campo de las Naciones to Barajas Airport.
The main design criteria were functionality, accessibility, maintenance, and standardisation of construction. Six tunnel boring machines were used, with stations built using the cut&cover method, achieving unprecedented performance.
The underground stretch of the M30 city ring road in Madrid, carried out during the 2000
A very significant underground infrastructure project, profoundly transforming the city, has become a world reference for modernisation and sustainable urban rehabilitation, by eliminating an urban overground road that divided the city in two and replacing with more than 40km of new tunnels. This intervention was complemented by the Madrid Río project, with 429ha of new green areas and more than 250,000 trees planted along the banks of the River Manzanares. TYPSA played a significant part in this project, and highlights include:
- Detailed design of the South By-Pass for the underground section of the M-30, which connects the intersection of the A-3 and the Avenida del Mediterráneo with the intersection of the A-42 on Prague Bridge, through two tunnels with a length of 4.3km each, excavated with EPB tunnelling machine of inner diameter 15.2m, which was a world record holder in 2005 for size and power.
- Construction supervision of the underground section between Prague Bridge and the South Intersection, with 6.2km of cut&cover tunnel.
- Construction supervision of the improvement works on the intersection of the M-30 with the A-3, with 2.2km of cut&cover tunnel.
- Drafting of the Special Plan, design and construction supervision of the Madrid Rio project over the underground section of the M-30.
The Porto Maravilha tunnel complex, in Rio de Janeiro
ENGECORPS has carried out the design and construction supervision for a new road system that connects the area between Santos Dumont airport and the area of the bus station, in an area of 500ha. The system is composed of 5 main tunnels: two so-called Túneles de la Autopista, the Via Binária tunnel, the Morro da Saúde tunnel and the Providência tunnel, with a total length of 8km, built partly with the New Austrian Method and partly in cut&cover.
The fact that three of the Group´s projects have been included among the most significant tunnels built in the last 50 years, reaffirms its status as a leading company in tunnel design and construction worldwide, as evidenced by the latest references in this field.
