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Howard Street Tunnel upgrade nears completion


Dublin MetroLink wins planning approval IRELAND - Dublin’s MetroLink project has been granted planning permission. Around 11.7km of the 19km-long route


will be underground, including under the city centre area and at Dublin Airport. The high-capacity, high-frequency metro


railway will link Dublin Airport and the city centre for the first time, and comprise 16 new stations from Swords to Charlemont. Interchanges with Irish Rail, DART, Dublin Bus and Luas services will create a fully integrated public transport network for the Greater Dublin Area. The planning approval means


Above: Modernisation of the 130-year-old Howard Street Tunnel has been completed ahead of schedule PHOTO CREDIT: CSX Transportation


US - Modernisation work on Baltimore’s Howard Street Tunnel is substantially complete, ahead of schedule. The US$450 million project is key


to rail freight transport company CSX’s capital improvement initiative addressing clearance restrictions for double-stack trains along its Baltimore-Philadelphia corridor. The work is being delivered by a


joint venture of Skanska and Fay, S&B USA Construction. The improved infrastructure


will help to improve freight rail efficiency and capacity along the Mid-Atlantic corridor and to Midwest destinations, improve supply chain efficiency for shippers, including through the Port of Baltimore, and increase the lifespan of the tunnel without the cost and interruption of building a new structure. Skanska-Fay JV collaborated


with CSX, lead designer Hatch, and local engineering firm WRA to increase the 2,652m-long brick- and-stone arch tunnel’s clearance by 600mm – from 5.8m to 6.4m – without damaging the original 1895 archway. They demolished and excavated


the original floor using specialised equipment, including a custom-built railcar-mounted gantry crane to transport and set down nearly 1,200 precast concrete invert slabs, each


measuring 5.4m - 5.8m across, to form the new floor. To complete the modernisation


faster, the project team employed a progressive design-build delivery method, which Skanska said gave flexibility to optimise the design, reduce costs, and shorten the construction schedule. It also allowed the JV and its engineering partners to test and refine the plan to lower the tunnel floor while construction was underway. Skanska-Fay crews worked a 24/7


schedule over a seven-and-a-half month period on the contract and recently completing all substantial work. Skanska’s Senior Vice President


and General Manager, Keith Chouinard, said delivering the complex project ahead of schedule demonstrated what was possible. The progressive design-build


method and the Skanska-Fay team experience in delivering large-scale design-build projects were key to project success, said Fay president Ryan Surrena. “Even after beginning


construction, the JV crews encountered challenges that required us to be nimble and adapt new approaches and methods,” he said. Surrena added that the teamwork between Skanska and Fay, and the ingenuity brought by Hatch and WRA, enabled success.


MetroLink can proceed to procurement and construction. MetroLink recently held market engagement events in several European cities. Following An Coimisiún Pleanála’s


planning decision and €2bn recently allocated for it by the Government, in the National Development Plan Review, the aim is to establish a dedicated state delivery body for the MetroLink project. Transport minister Darragh O’Brien said


MetroLink was a key strategic project for the government and Ireland, and that it would “be transformative for the people of North Dublin and… the entire country.”


Chiang Mai finishes flood tunnelling THAILAND - Tunnelling works have been completed for the Chiang Mai Flood Mitigation Project (Phase 2), in northern Thailand. The project, commissioned by the


Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, was finalised earlier this year. The works centred on the construction


of a 2.6m-diameter, 256m-long drainage tunnel, designed to integrate with Chiang Mai’s existing stormwater network. In addition to the tunnel drive, the scope


included launching and reception shafts, steel pipe connections, HDPE pipeline installation, hydraulic structures, and surface drainage channels. The project was delivered by Summit


Grade Ltd, Part. (Sam Prasit), with subcontractor SCG 1995 Co Ltd. Both companies worked under the supervision of Panya Consultant Co Ltd. Terratec provided technical expertise, the


TBM and segments, and equipment support. The manufacturer noted that tunnelling


projects of that scale were less common in Thailand outside Bangkok.


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