Vinci wins contract to build two tunnels in the United States

The contract, worth $211 million (about €166 million), covers driving two tunnels of 6.1 km and 3.6 km respectively using two slurry tunnel boring machines (TBMs) with an external diameter of 5.30 metres and pressure of up to 7 bar. The technique, which is rarely used in the United States, is one Vinci Construction Grands Projets’ specific areas of expertise.

The two tunnels will form the central part (Brightwater central tunnel) of a wastewater collection system comprising 22 km of tunnels. They will be made of prefabricated segments installed as the TBMs progress. Vinci Construction Grands Projets will also excavate two access shafts, one 28 metres deep and the other 63 metres. In addition, the company will trench a 1 km pipeline between the new and existing systems. Of this, 0.5 km will be driven using microtunnelling.

Work started on 28 August and will take 51 months to complete.

Vinci Construction Grands Projets is one of the world’s leading specialists in tunnel construction, as illustrated by the numerous references it has in France and the rest of the world. These include the Hallandsas tunnel in Sweden, Mitholz tunnel in Switzerland, A86 motorway to the west of Paris, Terminal 5 tunnels at Heathrow Airport in the UK, and metro tunnels in Cairo, Algiers, Athens and Budapest. Over the past 15 years, Vinci Construction Grands Projets has driven 718 km of tunnels.


For further information:
Karima Ouadia
Tel: +33 1 47 16 31 82
Fax: +33 1 47 16 33 88
E-mail: kouadia@vinci.com