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A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE COST OF TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION

ONLY THE DIRECT ENGINEERING PRICES OF CONSTRUCTION ARE DISCUSSED AND NO CONSIDERATION IS GIVEN TO ANY INDIRED COSTS OR BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH SUB-SURFACE ROADS. FOR SEVEN ROAD TUNNELS BUILT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM SINCE 1956 WIDE DIFFERENCES IN TOTAL PRICE WERE FOUND, DEPENDING LARGELY ON THE PREVAILING GROUND CONDITIONS. THE MOST EXPENSIVE TUNNELS ARE THE SUB-AQUEOUS ONES CONSTRUCTED THROUGH MIXED-GROUND CONDITIONS; SUCH WORK WOULD CONSTITUTE ONLY A SMALL PART OF URBAN ROAD SYSTEMS. AT 1968 CONTRACT RATES THE OVERALL PRICE OF A SINGLE TUNNEL CARRYING A 7.30 METER WIDE CARRIAGEWAY RANGES FROM ABOUT 2 MILLION POUNDS TO 9 MILLION POUNDS PER KILOMETRE, IGNORING THE PRICE OF PORTALS, INTERCHANGES & THE LIKE. THE EXCAVATION AND PRIMARY LINING WAS THE MOST EXPENSIVE PORTION OF THE WORKS IN ALL THE PROJECTS CONSIDERED AND AMOUNTED TO 6.0 +- 2.0 MILLION POUNDS PER KM. FOR THE CAST-IRON-LINED TUNNELS IN VERY DIFFICULT GROUND CONDITIONS AND 1.2 + 0.4 MILLION POUNDS PER KM. FOR THOSE LINED WITH CONCRETE IN LESS RIGOROUS CONDITIONS. THE PRICES OF THE SECONDARY COMPONENTS FOR THESE TWO SITUATIONS WERE 0.8 + 0.2 MILLION POUND PER KM. AND 0.3 + 0.2 MILLION POUNDS PER KM. RESPECTIVELY. THE EXPENDITURE ON SERVICES WITH ONE EXCEPTION (0.1 MILLION POUNDS PER KM) SHOWED LITTLE VARIATION FROM ONE PROJECT TO ANOTHER, AMOUNTING TO 0.8 MILLION + 0.2 MILLION POUNDS PER KM. /RRL(A)/

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Rrl Rept Lr 36, 36 PP, 2 FIG, 5 TAB, REFS
  • Corporate Authors:

    Road Research Laboratory /UK

    ,    
  • Authors:
    • MARGASON, G
    • Pocock, R G
  • Publication Date: 1970

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00215065
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: Road Research Laboratory /UK
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: May 3 1971 12:00AM