Spain’s Development Ministry has given the go ahead for a new tunnel to be built replacing the Vielha Tunnel, which was opened in 1948 and is today, at 5km, the second longest in Spain behind the Somport Tunnel in Huesca.
The New Vielha Tunnel aims at improving access to the Arán Valley in Lleida province for vehicles on the N-230 National Highway between Vialler and Vielha. However, the existing tunnel is to be retained for use by vehicles carrying hazardous materials.
A temporary joint venture composing Obrascón Huarte Laín (OHL), which holds half the equity, and Comsa and Copcisa, each with 25%, have been awarded the US$116M contract to build the tunnel, which is scheduled to be complete within 39 months. The contract covers the civil engineering work on both the tunnel and access roads, installations and equipment, as well as the buildings housing ventilation and management equipment.
The tunnel will be fitted with three 3.5m lanes, one in each direction, with the central one being reversible, although usually operating in the Vielha to Lleida direction. Given the length of the tunnel, a great emphasis has been placed on safety equipment, which will be overseen by a centralised traffic management centre, where there will be access to CCTV, a telephone relay network throughout the tunnel and an automatic incident detection system.
OHL, the project leader, has already been involved in the construction of the 5km Cadí Tunnel in Barcelona and the 2.9km Belate Tunnel in Navarra.
