Renovation of the Gubrist Tunnel on the Zurich northern bypass is progressing ahead of schedule.
The GUBRI consortium, comprising Implenia, Walo Bertschinger and Anliker, completed work on the first tube 44 days ahead of schedule, and are now running ahead on the second tube.
Lot 3 of the Federal Roads Office project covers the refurbishment of two tubes and includes the demolition of the existing carriageway slab and verges and construction of new structures, construction of new service ducts, and concrete repairs to approximately 127,000m2 of tunnel walls.
Implenia attributes the steady progress to the use of lean working.
“The lean working method has been with us on this project right from the start,” said Implenia Tiefbau Zürich project manager Sadat Lataj.
“We invested an enormous amount of time in work preparation, recorded all our experiences from the renovation of the first tube, planned and timed all the work steps with everyone involved right from the start. That involved many hours of exchanges, discussions, agreements and training. In the end, everyone knew what we wanted to build here, in what order and how they would contribute.”
Tunnel construction project manager and site manager Thomas Geiger said the approach has helped with the challenges of a tight schedule and large numbers of people working in a limited space. Up to 170 employees work in two shifts and share only a few access points to the tunnel.
The tunnel renovation is scheduled to be completed next year.
