On the road to versatility.

Works: Artificial Tunnel on the Catania-Siracusa Motorway

Location: Carlentini (SR)

Project features: this is an artificial twin-tube tunnel, 30.5 m wide, with a maximum height from the grade plane of 9.5 m, an Internal diameter of 13.5 m and an overall length of approx. 800 m. The tunnel was built in segments of 12.5 m each. The structures were moved by rollers on tracks. The carriage was built as a mechanical portal to support the vault always using standard components from the MECCANO system. ALPI demonstrated particular versatility for this project, allowing the customer to use the same structure to build the portal to a different tunnel with just a few simple adaptations. The internal formwork was equipped with a hydraulic system to vertical positioning and both, internal and external formworks, were equipped with a pneumatic vibration system which permitted an extremely high quality concrete finish, and above all with very short construction times. Having removed the passing tie rods and fully lowered the carriage hydraulically, the whole structure moved forwards simply along the rollers and tracks, with hydraulic Tirfor winches.