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1.4 Selection of Mountain Tunneling Method and Examination Procedure

(1) In selecting a mountain tunneling method, ground condition, location condition,
impact on the surrounding environment, construction period and economic efficiency
shall be considered.
(2) In construction of mountain tunnels, the guarantee of the safety and economic
efficiency during construction and service shall be examined at each stage of research,
planning, design, construction and construction management, considering the purpose,
functions and scale of the tunnel.

[Commentary]
(1) The basic concept of the mountain tunneling method is to form the ‘ground arch’ using
the support function of ground surrounding the tunnel and to keep the space stable. The
feasibility of using the mountain tunneling method is dependent on the excavated face
remaining intact for a sufficient length of time. Recently, remarkable technical progress has
been made developing auxiliary methods to improve the stability of the face. Therefore, the
number of cases where the mountain tunneling method is applied has been increasing even in
urban unconsolidated ground having small depth of overburden where, previously, cut and
cover method or shield method might have been applied.
In these cases, not only the stability of the face during excavation, but also the following
items become important issues such as the neighboring construction close to existing
underground facilities, use of the land for houses and buildings or structures on the surface,
settlement of ground, impacts on surrounding structures and water utilization. In the selection
of a mountain tunneling method, these impacts on the social environment should be fully
considered.
Table 1.1.2 shows the comparison of standard tunneling methods (mountain tunneling
method, shield method and cut and cover method) excluding special methods, e.g. caisson
method or submerged tunnel method, which are characterized by the applicable geology,
auxiliary methods for groundwater, tunnel depth, shape and size of cross section, alignment
and impact on the surrounding environment.
The characteristics of the mountain tunneling method are as follows: easily adaptable to
any shape of the cross section, i.e. advantageous to importance of enlargement of the road
junction or emergency parking lot, and economic superiority unless extensive auxiliary
methods are employed. Meanwhile, in case of unstable face of unconsolidated ground,
extensive auxiliary methods must be employed. In other cases, for example, it is important to
consider whether lowering groundwater is critical for the surrounding environment during
excavation or not when deciding to employ the mountain tunneling method.
Since there is a case of runoff of soil particles from unconsolidated surrounding ground to
the tunnel excavated in an urban area with the mountain tunneling method and opened to the
public, the comparison with other methods may be necessary for the adoption of mountain
tunneling method, including maintenance and management after the tunnel is put in service.
In selecting the mountain tunneling method, especially in urban areas, the following
actions are essential: comparison with other methods about characteristics of the method,
ground condition, location condition, impact on the surrounding environment, construction
period and economic efficiency, and adequate examination of the applicability of mountain
tunneling method.
(2) For mountain tunneling, the procedures of planning, research, design, construction and
construction management, and the items that should be examined in each stage are shown in