An Implenia and Frutiger consortium has completed a 3.8km drive for the northern section of the new Gotthard Tunnel.
TBM Alessandra[https://www.tunnelsandtunnelling.com/news/gotthard-tunnel-tbm-passes-fat/?cf-view] was launched from Göschenen in February last year and broke through into the section of the North Fault Zone this week.
The Herrenknecht machine is now being prepared for the next section. The 12.3m-diameter cutterhead will be overhauled before the TBM is pulled through the approximately 400m-long fault line. This is expected to be completed this summer and then boring of the remaining 4km of Lot 241 will commence.
Implenia’s head of tunnelling Switzerland, Daniel Spörri, congratulated the team on the breakthrough.
“We would like to thank our team and especially the miners who worked in shifts with the TBM every day for their excellent work. For the next section, I wish everyone a continued successful and accident-free construction period,” he said.
Federal Roads Office’s new Gotthard Tunnel runs 70m to the east of the existing road tunnel which opened in 1980 and carries traffic in both directions. Once the new tunnel is completed, the older tunnel will be refurbished and each tunnel will have a single lane of traffic.
Lot 241 also includes excavation for two underground ventilation centres, cross-passages, and construction of an underground concrete plant and production halls for tubing rings.
