NEWS

BBT SE CEOs praise the swift pace of the works

The progress on the exploratory tunnel is a further important milestone in one of the largest tunnel projects in Europe, say the company’s CEOs.

„The construction of a third tunnel, the so-called exploratory tunnel, is a novelty and has not been done so far in any other project in the world”, as BBT SE’s CEOs Martin Gradnitzer (Austria) and Gilberto Cardola (Italy) noted with satisfaction, expressing their pride in the excellent work the miners are doing.

“The excavation of the exploratory tunnel provides information on the rock mass, which is a great advantage for the tunnel boring machines that will subsequently excavate the main tunnels.”

The data obtained from the work on the exploratory tunnel has led to savings both in financial terms and in terms of timing.  The PORR consortium, which is carrying out the works in the H51 lot, deserves particular credit for this excellent result.

The H51 Pfons-Brenner lot is the largest construction lot for this project in Austria

Work on the southward stretch of the exploratory tunnel began on February 9th 2019 with a solemn celebration. The Brenner Base Tunnel has two main tunnels set approximately 70 m apart and linked every 333 metres by cross-connecting passages. The exploratory tunnel, which can be used by road vehicles, lies between the two main tunnel tubes, about 12 metres below them .
Approximately 1.2 kilometres of the exploratory tunnel had already been excavated as part of the preliminary lot “Wolf 2”.
The breakthrough to Italy is expected to take place in about 1.5 years.


Images 1 and 2: BBT miners celebrate their remarkable success. Photo: BBT SE