2006 North American Tunneling Conference: Extreme Success

The conference theme of "Extreme tunneling: Improving Progress, Cost, Performance, and Safety", was reflected in the 16 technical session and more than 80 presentations. Sessions included; Project Management and Predicting and Controlling cost and Schedule; Going underground: Protecting Critical Infrastructure, Innovations in Tunneling, Specialized Urban Construction, Identifying, Quantifying and Managing Risk in Underground construction, Transit Oriented Development: Making the Case for Going Underground, Soft Ground Tunnels, Ground Modification for Underground Construction, Alternative delivery Methods for Underground Works, Going Public: Selling the Underground Solution, Tunnel Lining Design, Machine Mining: Soft Ground to Hard Rock and Everything in Between, Stakeholder Interests in Design and Construction, Show Me the Money: Creative Financing for Underground Projects, Challenging Tunnel Designs, and Conventional Underground Construction. Additionally, luncheon speakers Hugh Kelly and Charles Daugherty presented "SSC Retrospective."

Other conference highlights included the three pre-conference workshops; DRB Continuing Education "Brush-Up", Better Contracting Practices for Underground Construction, and 2nd Edition of GBR Guidelines Documents. A field trip to the Department of Energy's Fermilabs completed the conference. Hardbound proceedings with a complimentary CD were published and are available for purchase through SME.

The 2008 NAT is scheduled, June 7-11, 2008, Hyatt Embarcadero, San Francisco, California—Mark your calendars for another can't miss tunneling conference from the UCA of SME.

For more information on SME meetings please contact:
SME,
Internet: www.smenet.org,
Email: meetings@smenet.org,
Tel: 303-973-9550,
8307 Shaffer Pkwy,
Littleton, CO 80127.