Tunnel Structures and Systems

With over 125 years of experience, WSP specializes in all forms of tunnel design and construction, from transportation tunnels to utility tunnels.

Tunnels

WSP has one of the longest standing and extensive tunneling practices globally. In both rock and soft ground, we build water, transit & rail, highway, utility and mine access tunnels.

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Innovation in Tunnel Engineering

Water tunnels

Water Tunnels

With cities around the world eager to clean up their waterways and secure the water supply needed for prosperity and growth, WSP has responded with appropriate engineering solutions.We design and manage construction of water-supply tunnels, combined sewer overflow (CSO) tunnels and offshore outfalls, and deep shafts in all ground conditions. Particular WSP strengths include ground improvement to protect surrounding structures, tunnelling in gassy or contaminated ground, and seismic engineering that keeps water tunnels operable in the event of earthquake or other disasters.

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Highway tunnels

Highway Tunnels

Threading tunnels under busy city streets or boring through mountainous terrain, WSP has a long historyof engineering highway tunnels. We are experienced in designing for and managing a variety of constructiontechniques including conventional drill-and-blast excavation, as well as specialized techniques such assoft-ground or hard-rock sequential excavation, box jacking and immersed tube technology.

Utility Tunnels

WSP has a proven track record in both the design, project management, and construction management of high voltage electrical cable tunnels and telecoms, gas transmission tunnels and pipelines, and water and wastewater transfer tunnel systems. Our experience includes geotechnical investigations and assessment, ground improvement, tunnel design including TBM, SEM and micro-tunnelling, tunnelling in gassyor contaminated ground, and seismic engineering that keeps utility tunnels operable in the event of earthquake or other disasters.

Transit and rail tunnels

Transit & Rail Tunnels

Since developing cut-and-cover tunnelling techniques for the initial New York City subway line at the turn of the 20th century, WSP has met the requirements of rail and transit agencies worldwide with innovative solutions in hard rock and soft ground. We have managed large complex tunnelling projects, set records in designing TBM-driven tunnels and engineered tunnels that are exceptionally deep or in challenging ground conditions. We regularly advise transit agencies on the increasingly critical issues of tunnel security, vulnerability assessment and risk analysis.

Mine access tunnels

Mine Access Tunnels

Mine access tunnels are essential assets which ensure safe, efficient, and trafficable access to the host rock and ore body to facilitate production. Accesses often traverse challenging geological and hydrogeological conditions requiring an alternative approach to typical mining development. WSP’s commitment to link advanced engineering and scientific theory with practical know-how is fundamental to our mine access work. Our unbiased understanding of mining and civil engineering excavation and support methods and their interaction with the ground are key to successful and expedient underground design and construction.

Hydropower tunnels

Hydropower Tunnels

WSP has extensive experience in tunnels, shafts and caverns for hydropower and pumped hydro. The underground works for such projects usually require complex geometries, connections and three-dimensional space proofing to serve the multi-purpose requirements for hydropower tunnels which may convey water, high-voltage electrical cables, machinery or the safe working environments for operating staff. Our experience includes project management, design and technical advisory services across all stages of a project lifecycle, from concept design, through to construction and operational stages.

Tunnels & Geotechnical Engineering

WSP covers a wide array of tunnels in conditions ranging from soft ground, mixed-face and hard-rock conditions to cut and cover tunnels and immersed tube structures. From program management to design to construction management, we serve clients in the rail, highway, water, utilities, mining, scientific research, power and energy sectors.

Our designs have resulted in record-setting advances with tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and we have employed innovations to reduce overall project cost, such as the development of fiber-reinforced concrete segmental liners for these drives.

We have addressed many of today’s most pressing concerns, including in the areas of geotechnical engineering, seismic design, digital technology, tunnel support design, tunnel ventilation and fire life safety, security and blast design, constructability, risk analysis and management, environmental planning and stakeholder communication. We have also made strides in keeping infrastructure up-to-date, having inspected and rehabilitated numerous tunnels around the world, some of which were those that we originally designed nearly a century ago.

Research supported by WSP has resulted in technological innovations such as our Subway Environment Simulation (SES) software, the industry standard in tunnel ventilation, as well as advances in seismic design, tunnel security, strengthening, rehabilitation, ventilation and trenchless technology.

We produced a comprehensive manual for design and construction of road tunnels for the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, and our blast design and seismic design capabilities have improved the safety and security of numerous tunnels in urban areas and under open waters.

Discover our Tunnel Engineering Projects

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Stockholm, Sweden

Slussen Bus Terminal: Replacing an Outdated Structure with a State of the Art Venue

This centralized underground transport hub opens up development of social venues and green spaces.

Antioquia, Colombia

Toyo Tunnel

WSP contributed its experience to the largest tunnel project in America part of the megaproject of 18 tunnels, 30 bridges and 17 kilometers of open-air roads in Colombia.

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Hong Kong

MTR Hung Hom Station

We helped transformed the key interchange station in Hong Kong’s MTR network to accommodate its expansion plan and enhance the city’s connectivity.

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Missouri, USA

Lower Meramec Tunnel Project

The 6.8-mile-long tunnel project — the largest ever for Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) — will improve water quality within the Meramec River watershed and help ensure regulatory compliance.

Washington, DC, USA

First Street Tunnel

During a storm event, the First Street Tunnel will store up to 30.3 million liters of combined sewer overflow in its 853 meters of tunnel and 4 shafts, preventing flooding in Bloomingdale and Le Droit Park.

Portland, Oregon, USA

East Side and West Side CSO Tunnels

The complex and highly successful combined sewer overflow (CSO) tunnel projects were key infrastructure components of the City of Portland, Oregon’s efforts to improve the water quality of the Willamette River.

Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa / Auckland, New Zealand

City Rail Link

WSP has partnered with City Rail Link Ltd., VINCI Construction Grands Projects, Downer, Soletanche Bachy International, AECOM, and Tonkin + Taylor to form the Link Alliance. Together, we are committed to delivering Aotearoa New Zealand's largest and most complex infrastructure project, City Rail Link.

Helsinki, Finland

Build it and they will come

WSP carried out the construction design of the Kaisantunneli – a pedestrian and bicycling tunnel passing under the railway yard at Helsinki's main railway station, as well as the underground Bicycle Parking associated with the tunnel. In addition, we were responsible for the construction design of the tunnel entrances and street areas opening to Kansalaistori square and Kaisaniemi park. The tunnel connects the city center divided by the railway yard with a pedestrian path and bicycle lane, and provides bicycle connection parking under train platforms.

Norfolk to Portsmouth - Virginia - US

Elizabeth River Tunnels

The first deep-water concrete immersed-tube tunnel in North America will significantly reduce travel time while greatly improving safety.

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Istanbul, Turkey

Eurasia Tunnel (Istanbul Strait Road Tube Crossing)

First road tunnel construction across the Bosphorus linking Europe and Asia: innovation and international collaboration to solve technical challenges.

Saudi Arabia

Revitalising Jeddah’s Infrastructure – The Construction Supervision Management Programme

Building on our strategic partnership with Jeddah Municipality, we have delivered the programme against all odds, adhering to the highest quality and safety standards..

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Hong Kong

MTR Tuen Ma Line

The 56km-long Tuen Ma line – now the longest line of Hong Kong’s MTR network connecting the former West Rail Line and Ma On Shan Line with six new stations planned under the strategic Shatin-to-Central Link project – greatly enhances the city’s railway network coverage.

Insights

Developing Underground Space: A View From Singapore

Key considerations to set a sustainable course

Taking Urban Development Underground

Future-ready solutions for ensuring urban sustainability

Tunnels: Sustainable Solutions for Major Water and Wastewater Infrastructure

As public demands for sustainable infrastructure grows, urban leaders are taking a closer look at the economic, environmental and social benefits of underground tunnels

The interaction of the TBM and the ground during tunnelling through weathered Kowloon Granite

A major factor in the magnitude of the forces and rates of advance for a slurry TBM is the nature of the ground conditions. The interaction of a slurry TBM and the ground was studied for two drives in weathered Kowloon Granite.

Webinars

Exploration of the Human Factors in an Emergency Situation in a Road Tunnel

Tunnel Ventilation and Fire Safety Systems – How to Reach High Levels of Safety and Code Compliance

Unlocking Auckland’s Rail network – City Rail Link – Northern Auckland Line connection, New Zealand

Digital Twins in Aotearoa Why and How You Should Invest

Measuring and Reducing the Carbon Footprint of the City Rail Link Project, Auckland, New Zealand