When it comes to the southeastern US, there is obviously one project on everyone’s mind: the behemoth in Florida.

The Port of Miami Tunnel is set to bring hundreds of jobs to the region and offer opportunities to businesses locally, otherwise there are really very few big tunneling jobs in the region.

One southern company reports that while it has an office in Atlanta, most everyone there is working on projects elsewhere in the country.

With plenty of work from major tunneling programs in the northeast, and a pocket of projects to the west in Austin, Texas, the southeast is often overlooked. However, there are several projects on the horizon that may catch the industry’s attention.

Charleston, South Carolina, relies on a deep network of deteriorating tunnels managing its water supply, wastewater and stormwater. As part of its Wastewater Tunnel Master Plan, the Charleston Water System (CWS) has been replacing these tunnels over the last decade through a series of six phases.

Currently Black & Veatch is working on the design for the fifth phase, the West Ashley Sewer Tunnel and influent pump station, which will replace an existing section of tunnel. The project is estimated to cost USD 42.8M to construct a new, 8,200ft (2,500m) long tunnel. The excavation will be roughly 6 to 7ft (1.83 to 2.13m) with a final diameter of 54in (1.37m). As of September, the project is in the final design/planning stage and CWS anticipates bidding in the spring. Phase six, the West Ashley Tunnel Extension, is in preliminary planning, and has an estimated cost of USD 47M.

Charleston is also planning a 4,000ft (1,220m) long drainage tunnel for stormwater, 80ft (24.4m) below Market Street. The Market Street Drainage Improvements Division II: Tunnels and Shafts contract includes the 10ft (3.05m) diameter tunnel, a 25ft (7.62m) diameter access shaft and three 54in (1.37m) drop shafts.

In Atlanta, the proposed 7-mile (11.27km) North-South Tunnel would connect I-675/I- 285 to SR 400/I-85. Initial studies suggest using a 41ft (12.5m) diameter TBM to excavate the tunnel. The Georgia Department of Transportation posed the project as a toll road, and received resistance from local officials and residents. Based on 2008 costs, the project’s price estimate is USD 3.74bn.

Delkalb County, Georgia, is planning the Interplant Storage and Conveyance System for transfer and storage of wastewater between treatment plants. Design is still underway for the approximately 25ft (7.62m) in diameter tunnel that will be located between 150 to 200ft (45.7 to 61m) below ground. Length is estimated to be between 4.5 and 5 miles (7.2 and 8.1km).

In the conceptual phase, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has studies underway to expand the Hampton Roads Crossing. The Interstate 64 Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel study started in May with an expected completion in 2014. A separate Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Feasibility Study concerns a new tunnel crossing roughly 250ft (76m) away from the existing westbound tunnel.

VDOT canceled the Hampton Roads Third Crossing initiative in 2006. However, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, VDOT began a revaluation of the EIS in 2011. Components of this project include two new tubes parallel to the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge- Tunnel (MMMBT) and an additional bridge-tunnel structure from the MMMBT near Naval Station Norfolk. The estimated cost, inflated for 2023, is USD 4.32bn.


The existing Hampton Roads Bridge Crossing, Virginia