- Overview
- Riverside Tunnel
- Interstate 5 Tunnel Repair
- Cowan Railway Tunnel
- Santa Suzanna Railway Tunnel
Tunnels - Overview
Tunnel work is some of the most challenging in the industry. Superior rises to the occasion bringing the Shotcrete Advantage to highway transportation tunnels, railway tunnels and water management tunnels. Whether we are called up to work in such small channel spaces that we are required to design and fabricate our own specialized equipment to perform the installation, or on such a large highway emergency repair that we are required to work 24/7, Superior delivers money saving and time saving results.
Riverside Storm Drain Tunnel: Riverside, California
The structural repair and strengthening of this existing storm drain tunnel was particularly challenging. Superior met the challenge by developing custom equipment and specialized application procedures to accommodate the size restricted work area coupled with the extremely long pushes of Shotcrete that were required.
In order to reline the 4,500 feet of this narrow tunnel, we had to push the Shotcrete through hose lengths of 2,250 feet from each end. We designed and built custom pumps and custom hoses to accommodate this extremely long push. The demands of this push also required us to develop a custom mix Shotcrete formula to suit.
At only 4 feet by 8 feet, the restricted work space also necessitated innovative techniques and required us to design and fabricate custom transporters, working equipment, lighting and ventilation for this project.
As the general contractor for this demanding project, Superior also constructed concrete chambers and twin underground 96-inch diameter RC pipe.
Interstate 5 Tunnel Repair: Santa Clarita, California
A fiery crash in the truck tunnel of Interstate 5 involving 18 commercial vehicles and 20 automobiles so badly damaged this vital link in the transportation system that it first appeared it would take months to repair. Estimated at over 1,000 degrees and burning for more than 24 hours, the fire was so intense that concrete spalled off the tunnel walls and paving to a depth of 6 inches. When Caltrans let the contract for this emergency repair it was for 33 days with a severe $130,000 per day late penalty.
This repair required vast resources and highly specialized materials and experience. Superior was uniquely qualified to bring its innovative solutions to the project. Superior brought in a massive crew, at times running as many as 148 workers in the tunnel and working back-to-back 20 hour days.
The shoots the Superior team placed were a 4,000 psi Shotcrete designed to replace the spalled wall surfaces of the damaged tunnel walls. The second stage of the tunnel wall repair was to shoot 27,000 square feet of 1.5 inch Gunite refractory coating designed with blast furnace slag which can be extremely dangerous and requires special skills and equipment to apply. Our skilled crews and custom equipment were able to apply the mix in spite of the high voltage kinetic shock created when the mix is transferred through the hose at high velocity.
Amid concerns that poor visibility may have contributed to the severity of the accident, the specifications called for the use of white cement within the final coating on the tunnel walls. The white cement and sand created a reflective surface while the slag provided extreme temperature protection should a future fire occur.
Superior rallied its resources and expertise completing its challenging contract in half the time, bringing the emergency repair 15 days under schedule and earning the General Contractor, Security Paving, a $3.9 million bonus for early completion.
Cowan Railway Tunnel: West Virginia
Originally built in 1920, the clearance in this railway tunnel had to be expanded to accommodate the height of modern double-container transports. Superior brought the cost effective Shotcrete Advantage to this project, performing the retrofit with innovative Shotcrete applications that also shaved time off the schedule.
Santa Suzanna Railway Tunnel: Simi Valley, California
The rehabilitation of this railway tunnel for the Southern California Regional Rail Authority involved the repair and upgrading of a 7,300-foot tunnel. Our crews worked exclusively at night, as the tunnel accommodates an active commuter rail line. Superior installed 3,664 lineal feet of rock bolt throughout the tunnel and applied 18,000 cubic yards of structural Shotcrete for the rehabilitation. Superior brought the Shotcrete Advantage to this project saving time and costs, and completed the project exclusively with night crews free of any safety incidents.
