Just before the awards ceremony which was held in Genova last week, there was an atmosphere of great enthusiasm in BBT SE for the upcoming ITA Awards. Two of our sub-projects were among the four finalists in the the “Project of the Year” category (for works with budgets between 50 and 500 million Euros) and were possible awardees.
We also knew, all too well, the challenges to be found in projects of this size. “For 23 months, our women and men worked hard approximately 1,000 metres below ground on the Hochstegen lot. This extraordinary team was led by Michael Knapp e Matthias Hofmann”, says the video made to present the “H52 Hochstegen” lot.
“The Isarco river underpass lot is located in a narrow valley near Fortezza, and we had to tunnel under important infrastructures such as the A22 highway, the SS12 state road and the Isarco river itself. The geology was extremely uneven, varying from Brixner granite rock to soft alluvial soils with huge granite boulders”, explained Michele Ianeselli, current Project Manager of this lot, discussing the challenges of the “H71 Isarco River Underpass” lot.
So we were well aware of the remarkable engineering and geological challenges that had been overcome in the two lots completed before Christmas of last year. But the result of the ITA awards did us proud: the Hochstegen and Isarco lots won the first and second places, respectively, in the category reserved for projects completed in 2023 with budgets between 50 and 500 million Euros.
Reaching this goal is a major acknowledgement for our work in unique conditions, where significant challenges and obstacles have been overcome. A large part of the Hochstegen lot runs through highly complex geology for a 500-metre stretch, with Triassic rocks to the north and water-bearing carbonate layers to the south.
The Isarco underpass site also had its share of challenges, but even with the technical, environmental and logistic issues we managed to excavate the tunnels without ever blocking the transportation infrastructure or interfering with the natural flow of the river.
These awards are the result of the cooperation between our extraordinary teams in BBT SE, our contractors and our construction management. This cooperation proves that ambition and teamwork can turn a challenge into an opportunity.
Well-deserved thanks go to everyone who contributed to this extraordinary result. Great projects require both innovation and sustainability: we are looking forward to further successes in 2025.
