Story courtesy of KSL.com
Video Courtesy of KSL.com
Geologic Hazards
Devil’s Slide Tunnel Construction Kicks Off
On September 17, CALTRANS and Kiewit Pacific held a "tunnel excavation celebration" to kick off the start of tunnel construction on The Devil’s Slide Tunnels project on California State Route 1 (the Pacific Coast Highway) in San Mateo County between the town of Montara to the south and the city of Pacifica to the north. The project involves the creation of a separated two-lane road, one lane in each direction. This road will pass through twin tunnels, over twin bridges and connect with an existing non-separated two-lane road at each end. The new road will be approximately 6,500 feet long, made up of the roughly 4,000-foot twin tunnels, the 1,500-foot north approach road (which includes the 1000-foot parallel bridges), and the 1,000-foot south approach road. Upon completion, the new road will bypass geologically unstable portions of existing Route 1, sections of roadway subject to lengthy closures, high maintenance costs over the years, and risk of permanent failure. Thanks Geology.com for the heads up. [Read on for more background, photos, maps, and movies!] (Images by CALTRANS)
Failures
Analysis: Did Design-Build Fail on Route 20 in Oregon?
The Oregon Route 20 project resulted in the original design-build contractor being terminated from the project after bridge pier bents began shifting from construction activities in a landslide-prone area. "Design-build is more of a risk […]
Project Related
Devil’s Slide tunnels delayed
The Devil’s Slide Tunnels that bypass a landslide prone stretch of California coast will not open until late 2012, a full year later than anticipated according to Caltrans. The tunnels broke through back in October, […]