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The facts
Client: DirectRoute
Location: Limerick, Ireland
Services: Tunnel Design, Geotechincal
Engineering
Sector: Infrastructure
Contract Type: Hybrid
Project Value: €500m
Start/Completion: Late 2005 - Summer 2010
The Project
When it opens in 2010, the €500m Limerick Tunnel will be capable
of handling up to 40,000 vehicles per day, relieving the congested
roads in and around the ancient city of Limerick.
This immense PPP (Public Private Partnership) project
features:
- 11 bridges
- 9.75km of two lane dual carriageway
- 2.3km of single lane dual carriageway
- a 750m causeway across Bunlicky Lake
- a 675m long tunnel under the River Shannon.
Capita Symonds is providing specialist design services - on
behalf of the construction joint venture DirectRoute – on the
project, including its five huge 100m long, 18,000 tonne immersed
tunnel units. The team’s work has also included the detailed design
of the ‘cut and cover’ tunnels and approach ramps on each bank of
the river.
In addition to the design of the civil works, we are also
responsible for the conceptual design of the mechanical and
electrical systems; the ventilation, lighting, pumped drainage and
control systems; and for the conceptual design of the new road’s
intelligent transport system.
It’s not the first time our immersed tunnel engineers have
provided these specialist design services. Earlier immersed
tunnel projects include the Jack Lynch Tunnel, also in Ireland, the
Øresund Tunnel, which provides a combined road and rail link
between Denmark and Sweden, road tunnels under the rivers Conwy and
Medway in the UK, and tunnels in Norway, Greece and Hong
Kong.