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CRCHI builds large diameter drainage tunnel TBM


USACE clears the way for oil & gas pipeline tunnel US - The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has granted national energy emergency status for Enbridge’s proposed tunnel to carry the Line 5 oil and gas pipeline, which is expected now to fast- track the environmental review process of the strait-spanning project. The oil and gas pipeline tunnel is to be


located in the Straits of Mackinac, in the Great Lakes. The tunnel project is among the first to


receive such emergency designation. In January, the incoming US Administration, under President Trump, declared a national energy emergency in a move to help accelerate the expansion of US energy production. Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline project calls


for construction of a 5.8km-long tunnel to cross the strait. The pipeline carries over 20 million


Above: TBM ‘Strong Foundation’ is a large diameter earth pressure balance (EPB) double shield convertible TBM PHOTO CREDIT: CRCHI


CHINA - One of the world’s largest diameter earth pressure balance (EPB) double shield convertible TBM was manufactured earlier this year by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation (CRCHI) for a major water drainage tunnel project, in China. The 12.68m-diameter TBM, named


‘Strong Foundation’, is to be used in construction of an almost 12.3km- long water transfer tunnel for the southern section of the Hangzhou- Jiaxing-Huzhou West Channel Tunnel project. The 107m-long TBM weighs


3,500 tonnes and was completed at CRCHI’s factory in Changsha, Hunan Province. The machine will face complex


ground conditions for tunnel boring, which CRCHI said is expected to include uneven stratum, and alternating hard and soft geology. The TBM has been designed with


a modular dual-mode cutterhead and also a dual muck discharge system. The design of the machine also


includes plenty of onboard digital technology, including an intelligent auxiliary tunnelling system. An automatic segment lifting and transportation system is provided for ring building.


8 | July 2025


The digital systems enable the TBM operator to monitor more than 20 parameters, such as cutterhead rotation speed and thrust speed in real-time. The application of digital twin technology also provides visual control of the whole construction process, which the manufacturer said helps toward less manned and more intelligent underground engineering. The water tunnel project expands


the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou South Drainage West Channel Tunnel Project to make China’s largest drainage project, also in terms of diameter and depth. Its aim is to prevent flooding


and drainage, while improving the water ecological environment. Once completed, it will further reduce the flood control pressure in the Taihu Lake basin, ensure flood control and drainage in the west of Hangzhou, and provide a safety barrier for the city of Hangzhou. CRCHI says the TBM is a major


breakthrough in the field of large diameter tunnel boring technology in China. It added that the development would inject new momentum into technology used for urban flood control and drainage, and underground space development.


gallons of oil and natural gas liquids daily from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario, and would have a total length of 1,038km. in 2023, Michigan regulators approved


Enbridge’s application to build the US$750 million tunnel but USACE assessment and permission were needed. The project has met much opposition to proceeding by many environmentalists and Native American tribes. Enbridge has already appointed a joint


venture of Barnard Construction and Civil and Building North America to lead tunnel construction.


Breakthrough achieved on part of long India rail tunnel INDIA - Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has achieved the breakthrough on one of India’s longest railway tunnels. Breakthrough was on the 14.57km-


long Tunnel No.8 on Rail Vikas Nigam’s 125km-long Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Broad Gauge project, in the mountainous state of Uttarakhand. The breakthrough was on Package 4,


which used a 9.11m-diameter single shield TBM ‘Shakti’ to build the majority (10.4km) of the tunnel. The TBM made a monthly advance of 413m. The balance of excavation was


performed using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). L&T is responsible for Packages 2 and 4


of the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag project, which connects five Himalayan districts. Package 2 includes 26.6km of tunnels.


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