BRENNER Base Tunnel (BBT SE), the company overseeing construction of the 55km tunnel between Italy and Austria, has awarded a 50-50 joint venture of Webuild’s Swiss subsidiary CSC and lmplenia a €651m contract for Lot H41 Gola del Sill - Pfons.
Lot H41 covers construction of the line from Gola del Sill near Innsbruck south to Pfons. The contract includes two 7.3km-long parallel tunnels built using traditional excavation methods, including auxiliary tunnels, and two 16.5km tunnels built using two 10m-high tunnel-boring machines (TBMs). The contract also includes lining the tunnel walls and building an underground emergency stop at Innsbruck, access tunnels, exploratory tunnels and parts of other secondary tunnels.
Webuild says the project has been designed to improve environmental sustainability. The work sites are designed to reduce travel times for the transport of materials, and feature measures to reduce dust and noise.
Webuild is currently working on a number of other sections of the tunnel, including the lsarco River Underpass and the Mules 2-3 lot after completing the Pfons - Tulfes section. Webuild and Implenia are also working on the Fortezza - Ponte Gardena line south of the tunnel.
BBT SE confirmed in May that completion of the tunnel is now unlikely before 2031 with opening no earlier than 2032, four years later than planned, and two years later than the previous forecast completion date of 2030.
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