Contractor JV Östu-Stettin/Leoben/G Hinteregger & Söhne successfully broke through on the top heading of the $121M, 10km long, Plabutschtunnel Weströhre in Graz, Austria on 9 April.
The JV is constructing the 90-100m² cross-section road tunnel using the NATM from two faces, one from a southern portal and another from the north through limestone, dolomite and shale. The first blast operation was set on 16 August 1999 from the north portal.
Construction continued using an array of Atlas Copco equipment including Boomer drill rigs and Super Swellex rockbolts to produce a top-heading and 4m bench advance pattern. Excavation of the bottom tunnel section is expected to be completed in July.
The two-lane tunnel is the second tube to be constructed by Östu-Stettin through the Plabutsch, a hill near Graz. The first was built following public outcry at a proposed motorway through the Graz suburbs. Work started in 1982, and was completed in 1987. The client for the second two-lane tube is the county of Styria on behalf of ASFINAG (Autobahnen-und Schnellstraben Finanzierungs AG) that is responsible for factoring and constructing motorways in Austria.
The project is due for completion in the summer of 2003 and will increase traffic capacity on this section of the Trans-European Motorway Network.
