A 1km long, twin tube tunnel currently under construction in Taipei has been designed to alleviate congestion in the Taiwanese capital, by reducing car journey times by up to one hour.
Main contractor Der-Pou Engineering Company, started work on the US$95.4M Shin Yi tunnels in February 2003 using drill and blast through the sandstone and shale. The tunnel is being advanced from four faces, two from each portal.
The walls will be lined with sprayed shotcrete, with airpower provided by four Atlas Copco portable compressors.
The tunnels are 14.5m wide and 8m high, and will provide a new route from Shin Yi – the most expensive district in Taipei – to the #3 highway, linking to Kaohsiung in the south of Taiwan.
Taipei city council is the client, with consulting services provided by MOH & Associates. Construction should be completed by the end of 2004.
