Oden Anläggningsentreprenad secured a SEK112.7 million contract to construct the 835 m Gårdberg tunnel on the Adalsbanan line. Visit www.oden.nu and www.banverket.se/adalsbanan 31/08...

The Ministry of development awarded FCC a EUR97 million contract for the construction of the southbound carriageway on the southern motorway A-4, section Venta de Cárdenas-Santa Elena. This 9 km section includes the 166 m La Cantera tunnel and the 1,823 m Despeñaperros tunnel, which is a three-lane tunnel. Click es/113 for more details. Visit www.fcc.es 31/08...

Acciona Infraestructuras concluded a EUR81.4 million deal with the Ministry of development to build the Valls-Montblanc bypass on the Tarragona-Montblanc motorway A-27. The 5.1 km section includes the Lilla tunnel, which consists of two bores of 1,565.50 m (left tube) and 1,567.41 m (right tube). Click es/89 for more details. Visit www.acciona-infraestructuras.es 31/08...

Ferrovial Agroman scooped a EUR82.1 million construction contract for the 8.6 km Rialiño-Padrón section on the Atlantic coast high speed line. This section includes the 1,460 m-long 85 sq m Bustelo tunnel. Visit www.ferrovial.es 31/08. ..

The Veneto regional assembly has approved a financing proposal presented by Grandi Lavori Fincosit, Adria Infrastrutture and Mantovani for the design, construction and operation under concession of the so-called Alpe Adria connection-Extension of highway A27. From the administrative point of view, the proposal has been sent to the regional council to be submitted to a commission of counsellors

The EUR845 million Liefkenshoek railway connection project involves the construction and maintenance of the civil infrastructure for a new 16.2 km freight-only railway, whereof 8 km in tunnel, linking the western docks and eastern docks of Antwerp. The project is a design, build, finance and maintain type agreement, with a maturity period of 41½ years

Solicitation for conceptual proposals, deadline 29th September, 2008 for improvements to the Downtown tunnel, the Midtown tunnel and the Martin Luther King (MLK) freeway extension between Norfolk and Portsmouth in the Hampton Roads area, as part of a plan to make an estimated USD1 billion.

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The project to repair and renovate the Wheeling tunnel on Interstate 70 in West Virginia consists of various rehabilitation work to the existing tunnels. Both the eastbound and westbound tunnels will be closed separately to allow the contractor to perform the work. The West Virginia Department of Highways (WVDOH) awarded the project to The Velotta Company at a cost of USD5,776,989. HNTB is the design consultant that drew up plans for the tunnel renovation. Visit www.hntb.com

Both a schedule for completion of the work and a budget for it were drawn up four years ago. Since then, the tunnel lining has continued to deteriorate, resulting in a need for more work than engineers had envisioned initially.

Traffic through the eastbound tunnel was stopped on 17^th January, 2007 and plans were for the work there to be completed in 111 days by 8^th May. Repeated problems with concrete bonding issues have set the project back. The project is over budget and behind schedule. WVDOH officials have said another USD1 million will be needed. They are exploring the possibility of starting work on the westbound tube immediately after the eastbound side is completed. The WVDOH has set 1^st November as a deadline for Velotta to complete its work on the eastbound tube. Work on the westbound tube, originally scheduled to begin in January 2008, will not begin until February or March to be completed within 108 days.

Contractors removed the top layer of concrete and replaced it with a higher density concrete more resistant to damage from road salt. But work on the inside of the tunnel stayed on hold for about eight weeks from May to July while the WVDOH pondered the issue of patching cement bonding to tunnel walls. In May, AMEC of Burnaby, British Columbia, who was retained by the contractor, said the latex-modified shotcrete material specified for the job was not suitable for the tunnel because the presence of water can cause bonding failure. AMEC strongly recommended not to continue the project with latex-modified shotcrete. Visit www.amec.com

CTL Engineering of Columbus performed fields tests and took core samples in the section of the tunnel previously coated with the latex-modified material. The tests were made to determine bonding strength of the patching concrete and the condition of existing tunnel walls. Also, non-latex patching cement was applied to test sections at the west end of the tunnel. As a result of all the testing, WVDOT officials determined a non-latex, fiber-enhanced, silica fume material applied with a shotcrete application will work. Visit www.ctleng.com

Work began on 24^th July on the application of new patching concrete on the walls in preparation for installation of new tiles. Crews first removed the latex-based bonding cement previously installed to the walls. A crew of eight men from the Pittsburgh-based tile subcontractor Massaro Industries began installing replacement tiles on 17^th September. Tiles will first be installed on the north wall and north side of the ceiling. Once the north side is tiled, electrical and other work can be done while tiles are being installed on the other side of the tunnel. That includes installation of a sprinkler system, new sidewalk guardrail, a new security camera system and installation of new fire boxes.

1,210 square metres of replacement tiles will be used to reline the tunnel. The German-made tiles are 27.4 centimetres square and 1.2 thick. They have a lug-type rough surface on the back to ensure adhesiveness, and they must have a hard glaze finish that will not wear off. All the tiles also must be uniform in colour. The tiles must withstand years of power washing and maintenance procedures. This is the first time all the tiles are being replaced since the tunnel opened on 7^th December, 1966.

The main reason why tunnels are tiled is the same reason why most showers are tiled. Smooth ceramic tile is fairly easy to clean because particles of dirt and grime generally don't get imbedded in the material. Instead, most particles collect on top of the tile, and will wash away with detergent and water. This resistance to grime (as well as to moisture) makes tile an extremely durable and easily cleaned material. Even under harsh conditions, it takes a long time for tile to deteriorate, and it's pretty easy to get all of the grime off. 40/07.