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The facts
Client: DirectRoute
Location: Limerick, Ireland
Services: Tunnel Design, Geotechincal
Engineering
Sector: Infrastructure
Contract Type: Hybrid
Project Value: €605
Start/Completion: 2005 - 2010
The Project
The €605m Limerick Tunnel, which opened to the public in
July 2010, is 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, 10km of two lane dual carriageway; 2.3km of single lane
dual carriageway, a 750m causeway across Bunlicky Lake and a 675m
long tunnel under the River Shannon.
Capita Symonds provided 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. Our 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 were 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.
Capita Symonds is a world leader in immersed tunnel design,
recent 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.