Latest Tunnels News

Complex Thames Water tunnel diversion completed

Thames water pipe diversion 3to2

Contractors have finished a major tunnelling operation to divert a water main under London’s South Circular Road and around a river and two railway lines.

Thames Water described the project as like ”threading the eye of a needle”. The diversion was carried out to enable the building of 588 apartments by…

Tunnelling | Northern Line extension

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London’s Tube network is being extended for the first time in a decade.

There is always a lot of excitement surrounding the start of tunnel construction: the awesome sight of colossal tunnel boring machines (TBMs) being lowered deep underground. There is also the anticipation that, once rested and connected up, they…

Silvertown Tunnel frontrunner falls at first hurdle

Silvertown tunnel

The frontrunner to build the £1bn Silvertown Tunnel in East London failed to even make the shortlist, New Civil Engineer can reveal.

A Bouygues/Bam Nuttall joint venture was hotly tipped to win the project that demands very complex tunnelling in a confined urban area. It was thought that Bouygues’ experience in…

Gallery | World’s first ship tunnel to be built

ship tunnel norway

The Norwegian government has given the go-ahead to build the world’s first full-scale ship tunnel at a cost of £192M (NKr2bn).

The Stad Ship tunnel is now in the feasibility study phase, being run by the Norwegian Coastal Administration. The tunnel, which will be 37m high by 36m in diameter, will mean…

Smaller, cheaper Tideway had chance says NAO

Thames Tideway Tunnel

The £4.2bn Thames Tideway Tunnel could have been smaller and cost less claims a new report by public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO).

The report says that correcting inaccurate modelling predictions could have resulted in a ”smaller”, lower cost tunnel. However, the same report also acknowledges the government’s claim that…

Lower Thames Crossing gets new project boss

Lower Thames tunnel

Highways England has appointed Tim Jones as project director for the new £4bn Lower Thames Crossing tunnnel scheme.

Jones’ appointment comes at a critical time for the project as the government seeks pilot projects to be delivered via its new private finance mechanism – labelled PF2. In May he will leave…

Your View | Swansea Sparks

Lagoon wall (tidal lagoon power)crop

Mike Unsworth must be congratulated for his intention to build a tidal lagoon power project in Swansea Bay once the expected contract for difference is agreed (New Civil Engineer, February). It is sad we could have led the world nearly 100 years ago as ICE member AMA Struben argued the…

Elon Musk reveals LA traffic tunnel bid

Traffic congestion roads 3x2

Entrepreneur Elon Musk has reiterated plans to build a tunnel in Los Angeles, California to tackle traffic congestion, despite reports that he does not have planning permission.

Tesla chief executive Musk first announced his plans on Twitter in December. Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build a tunnel boring…

Stonehenge tunnel technical details revealed

Stonehenge Closeup 3to2

Initial technical details for the proposed new 2.9km long tunnel which will take traffic away from the A303 close the Stonehenge World Heritage Site (WHS) have been released.

The details were published in the A303 Stonehenge Amesbury to Berwick Down technical appraisal report from Highways England as part of the documentation made…