Integral Design Bored Tunnel Rijnlandroute

Integral Design Bored Tunnel Rijnlandroute

On behalf of the province of South Holland, Comol5 is constructing the first section of the new RijnlandRoute. This first part comprises the construction of the new N434 between the A44 and the A4 near Leiden, with a bored tunnel under Voorschoten and expansions of the A4 and the A44.

After the successful cooperation in the tender phase, Arthe Civil & Structure was asked by Comol5 to take care of the integral civil engineering design of the bored tunnel. As an international operating company, Arthe was the perfect link between the French contractor Vinci, who is executing the bored tunnel works, and all the Dutch rules and guidelines concerning the bored tunnel imposed by the client.

Smart solutions

The route of the tunnel had a number of challenges for which Arthe came up with smart solutions. A number of obstacles, such as the Rijn-Schie canal, could be passed with a minimum of nuisance. For the design of the tunnel tubes themselves, a state-of-the-art segment geometry has been applied in cooperation with the French contractor. A sophisticated design approach then allowed an optimal balance to be found between structural safety and efficient (sustainable) use of building materials.

More than just design calculations

For the Comol5 consortium, Arthe Civil & Structure has designed the bored tunnel as part of the Rijnlandroute, from start- to reception shaft. This included both the functional design and its translation into civil engineering calculations, models and drawings. A selection of the activities:

• Functional design based on the requirements analysis of the client and stakeholders
• 3D modelling of the drilled tunnel within the BIM with other disciplines (including VTTI)
• Interface management
• Setting up, supervising execution and interpretation of the soil and laboratory tests
• Development of a design strategy to demonstrate the fire resistance of the bored tunnel by means of fire tests
• Design of concrete segments for tunnel lining
• Structural design of the cross connections between the tunnel tubes
• Design of the temporary frame support with soil freezing for the construction of the cross sections
• Structural design of the tunnel inlay: including cable ducts and water cellars
• Execution supervision and management
• Engineering of drilling processes, support and mortar pressures
• Analysis of influences of the surroundings due to the drilling process
• Design of auxiliary structures for the start and receiving shaft of the tunnel boring machine

Want to know more about the project? Take a look at the project website.

Geotechniek aug 2020 De Rijnlandroute onderweg

Safety approach for tunnel lining calculations in 3D-continuum models

Tunnels-and-tunnelling-Rijnlandroute-final-2