| NEWS


USACE helps Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel move forward US - The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has granted national energy emergency status for Enbridge’s proposed tunnel for its Line 5 oil pipeline, fast- tracking the environmental review process. The project would involve construction of


a 5.8km-long tunnel for the 1,038km Line 5 that crosses through the Straits of Mackinac in the Great Lakes. The pipeline tunnel in the Straits, in


Michigan, is among the first to get an emergency designation after President Trump declared a ‘national energy emergency’ in a January executive order, and means the Corps can now fast-track its review of the project. The declaration enables filling of wetlands and dredging or building in waterways. In 2023, Michigan regulators approved


Enbridge’s application to build the tunnel to house its aging Line 5 oil pipeline, but the project still needs permission from the Corps to proceed. The project is supported by organizations


like the public policy organization Mackinac Center, which says the tunnel “virtually eliminates the risk of a spill in the Great Lakes, addressing environmental concerns while maintaining critical infrastructure”. However, it is had opposition from


environmentalists and Native American tribes.


In mid-2024, Enbridge appointed a joint


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


Breakthrough connects two Sydney mega projects AUSTRALIA - Sydney is a step closer to its first new road harbor crossing in almost three decades after a roadheader recently broke through to connect the Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade. The two projects were joined for the


first time since work started on the Warringah Freeway Upgrade in mid-2021. The upgrade will create the space on one of Australia’s busiest roads for the portal for the 6.5km-long Western Harbour Tunnel. Western Harbour Tunnel Stage 2 is


being undertaken by Acciona and the roadheaders have so far cut through around 1 million tons of rock. The John Holland and CPB (JHCPB) joint venture completed roadheader excavation on Stage 1 in late 2024.


Two TBMs will be delivered later this


year to the Western Harbour Tunnel and assembled below Birchgrove. They will excavate twin, three-lane tunnels beneath Sydney Harbour, connecting tunnels at Birchgrove with those at Waverton. Work on the Warringah Freeway Upgrade


is now more than 70% finished and the project completion is expected in late 2026. The Western Harbour Tunnel will connect


the Warringah Freeway to the WestConnex M4 and M8 at Rozelle Interchange, helping drivers bypass the Central Business District (CBD). It is due to open to traffic in 2028.


German particle accelerator nears completion GERMANY - Construction of the northern section of Germany’s FAIR particle accelerator, which includes a 1.1km-long tunnel, is nearing completion. Contractor Porr has installed more of reinforced concrete


than 340,000m3


and 40,000 tons of steel reinforcement in the overall works. The final concrete component – a small external staircase – was cast in February. The FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and


Ion Research) particle accelerator is being built at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, in Darmstadt. The facility accelerates particles to near the speed of light. The central structure of the facility,


including the northern section, is the up to 40m-wide tunnel for the SIS100 ring accelerator. Porr built the circular accelerator


tunnel as well as nine above-ground and underground buildings for experiments, operational and utility facilities in the northern construction area. The three-cell tunnel was built


using open-cut reinforced concrete construction – a frame structure with massive components. This includes the 6.35m-thick slab with a 29m span, which was constructed using formwork on a supporting scaffold.


TBM set for Scheldt microtunnel BELGIUM - The TBM that will build the ECLUSE 2 project’s Scheldt river tunnel has arrived in Antwerp. The 1.28km-long tunnel will form an


essential link under the Scheldt for ECLUSE’s expanding sustainable steam supply and will be Belgium’s longest microtunnel. The micro TBM is a 4m diameter and the tunnel will be formed by 322 pipes


with an outer diameter of 3.8m. The tunnel will also provide space for a central maintenance path and additional capacity for future pipes and cables. In a follow-up phase, a shorter tunnel will be drilled in the direction of Evonik. The entire project is scheduled to be


completed at the end of 2026. ECLUSE is an industrial steam network


that valorizes energy from the waste- to-energy plants of Indaver and SLECO in Doel. It is currently supplying steam to five companies on the left bank of the Waasland Port. The new Scheldt tunnel will enable


renewable energy to be supplied to companies on the right bank, starting with chemical company Evonik Antwerp. This will reduce Evonik’s reliance on natural gas and cut its annual CO2


emissions by


100,000-150,000 tons. The ECLUSE tunnel is a collaboration


between private and public partners: Indaver; SLECO; FINEG; Maatschappij Linkerscheldeoever; Port of Antwerp- Bruges; Water-Link; and it has the support of the Flemish Government. The works are being undertaken by K-Boringen and Jan de Nul.


DC Water gets OK for Piney Branch Tunnel US - DC Water has received the go-ahead to build the Piney Branch Tunnel after the National Park Service (NPS) completed an environmental assessment. The project, on NPS land in Rock Creek


Park, will improve water quality and reduce combined sewer overflows to the Piney Branch and Rock Creek. The tunnel is part of DC Water’s Clean


Rivers initiative to improve water quality in the Anacostia River, Potomac River, and Chesapeake Bay watershed. Design work is under way for the tunnel


project, and construction is expected to start next year. The tunnel is scheduled to be operational by 2029, and all restoration work and other project related improvements finished by 2030. The 4.2 million-gallon underground


storage facility will capture stormwater and untreated sewage during heavy rain, holding it until the overflow can be released back into the system during low flow periods and treated at the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility. DC Water’s Clean Rivers initiative is a


US$2.7bn project to construct 29km of tunnels to divert sewage overflows and improve water quality.


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