DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMIC FACTORS IN TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION

The escalating cost of underground construction of urban transportation systems has made transit planning, especially construction cost estimating, difficult. This is a study of the cost of construction of underground, rapid transit tunnels in soft ground and is sponsored by UMTA's Office of Rail Technology. Twenty-two tunnels from the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), the Chicago Metropolitan Sanitary District, and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (UMATA) have been analyzed to determine what factors influence the Rate of Advance (ROA) through the ground. A statistical study of factors that influence tunnel construction costs was made to determine the magnitude of the major factors involved in construction cost. Tunnel construction data on cost and resources expended was collected and used to develop relations between construction ROA and physical variables. The data is also used in an analysis of the cost impact of institutional factors such as: availability and analysis of geologic conditions; flexibility and quality of engineering specifications; conditions for obtaining right-of-way and construction and entry permits; potential contractor liability; and labor agreements. Utilization of the study results are expected to better the accuracy of cost estimating procedures for further tunnel construction. The appendices contain numerous charts and tables illustrating such items as: Case History Data/format; Ring & Face Log Data/sheets; Average Weekly Progress Data/keypunch forms; Systems Calculations for estimating tunnel construction cost; Rate of Advance Calculations; Calculations of Downtime Hours; Mexico City Tunnel Data; and References.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/MA060025
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This report was sponsored by DOT, Urban Mass Transportation Administration under contract to DOT, Transportation Systems Center.
• Corporate Authors:

  Bechtel Corporation

  50 Beale Street
  San Francisco, CA  United States  94119
• Authors:
  • Damskey, L R
  • Gin, G T
• Publication Date: 1977-12

Media Info

• Pagination: 183 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Construction; Costs; Data collection; Economics; Excavation and tunneling; Geology; Labor unions; Property acquisition; Rapid transit; Right of way (Land); Soft soils; Transportation planning; Tunneling; Urban transportation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Construction costs
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Economics; Finance; Geotechnology; Highways; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00178779
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: MA-06-0025
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTA-MA06-0025-77-16Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-1104
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 14 1981 12:00AM