Challenges and Solutions for Tunnel

Construction in Hong Kong Harbour

Tim Leung
BEng(Hons) MSc(Eng) CEng FIMMM MICE MHKIE
Senior Resident Engineer, AECOM Asia Co. Ltd., Hong Kong, China

14 June 2016
 Central-Wan Chai Bypass and Island
Eastern Corridor Link at Hong Kong
• 4.5 km dual 3-lane new trunk road

• Consists of 3.7 km tunnel, of

which 1.1 km subsea tunnel

• Overall cost HK$36 billion

(EUR€4.1 billion)

• Commencement in 2009

• To relieve the existing traffic

congestion and cater for the
anticipated traffic growth between
the east-west along the northern
shore of Hong Kong Island

Tim Leung
Tim Leung
 Client

Highways Department, Hong Kong Government

Design and Supervision

AECOM Asia Co. Ltd.

Contractors
9 major tunnel contracts
HY/2009/18 Leighton Contractors (Asia) Ltd, HY/2009/15 & HY/2010/08 China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Ltd,
HY/2009/19 Chun Wo-CRGL-MBEC JV, HY/2011/08 Leighton JV , HK/2009/01 Chun Wo-Leader JV, HK/2009/02 Chun Wo-China
Railway Group Ltd JV, HK/2012/08 China State-Build King JV, HK/2010/06 Gammon-Leader JV

Tim Leung
 Challenges

• To meet requirements of the Protection of the Harbour

Ordinance (PHO)
• least intrusion into the Victoria Harbour
• the minimum extent of permanent/temporary
reclamation

• Choice method of construction

• Construction of Cut-and-Cover tunnel below sea
bed
• Construction of Mined Tunnel underneath the
existing Cross Harbour Tunnel
Tim Leung
 Challenges
• Rearrangement of moorings and anchorages

Tim Leung
 Challenges
• Enabling construction of tunnel beneath seabed and
cross harbour tunnel

Tim Leung
 Challenges
• Mining under the
approach ramp
of Cross
Harbour Tunnel
• Tunnel crown
below seabed
and tunnel
Portal under the
sea
• Extremely tough
rock
• Removal of
marine
temporary works

Tim Leung
 Challenges
• Mining 50 m span trinocular tunnel under cross harbour
tunnel with daily throughput of 120,000 vehicles

Tim Leung
 Ground Condition

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 Solutions
• Through a staged construction approach to minimize
temporary reclamation in range 1.8 – 3.7 ha

Tim Leung
 Solutions
• Temporary reclamation (and its removal) after the
completion of the tunnel

Tim Leung
 Solutions
• Temporary reclamation (and its removal) after the
completion of the tunnel
Ex-Wan Chai Public Cargo Causeway Bay
Cross Harbour Typhoon Shelter
Working Area
Tunnel

Cut-and-Cover Tunnel Mined Tunnel to be constructed Cut-and-Cover Tunnel

being constructed by Drill-and Break method being constructed

Ex-Wan Chai Public Cargo Causeway Bay

Cross Harbour
Working Area Typhoon Shelter
Tunnel

Completed Cut-and- Mined Tunnel Completed Cut-and-

Cover Tunnel being Cover Tunnel
constructed

Tim Leung
 Solutions
• Precautionary and Contingency Measures
1. Additional Steel Weight at CHT Portal
 To compensate the additional induced stress estimated in CHT
anchors due to mined tunnel excavation

2. Standby Dewatering / Recharging System

 Act as contingency measure against floatation during mined tunnel
construction

3. Magnetometry survey carried out in horizontal holes to

 Confirm the existence of CHT anchors
 Check clearance between existing CHT ground anchors and the
tunnel

4. Instrumentation Monitoring at CHT Portal

 To closely monitor the structural behavior of CHT portal
Tim Leung
 Solutions
• Precautionary and Contingency Measures

Weight

Magnetometry
Survey
(effective radius 2m)

Tim Leung
 Solutions
• Additional steel weight

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 Solutions
• Standby dewatering / recharging system

Dewatering Wells – 37 nos.

Recharge Wells – 51 nos.
Piezometers – 13 nos.

CUT-OFF
WALL
(Grout
Curtain)

Tim Leung
 Solutions
• Comprehensive Instrumentation Monitoring

Layout Plan of ADMS Prisms

and Strain Gauges

Notification via e-mail and SMS

Alert, Action and Alarm (AAA) Trigger
Levels +/-13, 18 and 22mm
Trigger Standby Dewatering /
Recharging System
Convergence Monitoring in Two
Major Stages

Tim Leung
 Solutions
• Sequential excavation of Trinocular Tunnel by “drill-and-break”

Tim Leung
 Solutions
• Modification of drilling jumbo for continuous slot
holes (free faces) drilling

Guide
Plunger

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 Solutions
• Diaphragm wall underwater cutting after removal of
temporary reclamation

Tim Leung
 Solutions
• Diaphragm wall underwater cutting

55 tons

Tim Leung
 Solutions
• 5 tailor-made barges for delivery of concrete trucks to
avoid imposing additional traffic load to the existing
road network

Tim Leung
 Commercial Resolution
• To alleviate long traffic queue between east-west
along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island

From Central to North Point

By 2017: 45 minutes

From Central to North Point

With CWB: 5 minutes

Tim Leung
 Concluding Remarks

This project is designed for the rapid population growth and

increased urbanisation in the decades ahead, and will be one of
the major infrastructures in Hong Kong and such design will
surely wide use of underground solutions worldwide

As the theme of WTC 2017, the project team resolved “Surface

Challenges” and provided “Underground Solutions” for this
section of Central – Wan Chai Bypass Tunnel

Tim Leung
 Concluding Remarks
Despite the numerous challenges encountered from
the stages of design to construction, the problems
were solved and the tasks were completed
successfully by virtue of the team work among the
project team.

Tim Leung
 Publications & Articles
 Underground Design and Construction Conference 2015, Hong Kong
 World Tunnel Congress 2016 (WTC2016), San Francisco
 3rd Eastern European Tunnelling Conference (EETC2016) , Prague
 The Journal of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers Sep 2016
 TunnelTalk Annual Review 2016
 Chinese Journal of Rock Mechanics and Engineering, China
 World Tunnel Congress 2017 (WTC2017), Bergen

Tim Leung
 Awards
• Prestigious Internationally Recognized Tunnelling Awards

Tunnelling Project of the Year Major Project of The Year

(Over US$500 Million) (More Than €500 Million)
Specialist Tunnelling Project of the Year
Community Engagement
Tim Leung
Thank You

tim.leung@cwbaecom.com

14th June 2017