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, but they are apparently having problems with soil movement and need additional reinforcement. The cost of the delay is not known at this time, but it should drive the $350M project budget substantially higher. [Source: San Mateo Daily Journal. Image: Caltrans via smdailyjournal.com]
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Lasers, Software and the Devil’s Slide
[Editor] National Science Foundation (NSF) Press Release – June 30, 2008. Screenshot Credits: Jeramy Decker, Kiewit Corp [/Editor]
Running for more than 1,000 kilometers along picturesque coastline, California’s Highway 1 is easy prey for many of the natural hazards plaguing the region, including landslides.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is currently building a kilometer-long tunnel to bypass one of the most landslide-prone stretches of the highway, the Devil’s Slide, to help ensure drivers’ safe passage.
Using a new software package developed by researchers at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., project engineers are getting a detailed 3-D view of the rock exposed in the excavation, adding a new tool for improving both safety and construction progress.
[Editor] Click through for the rest of the press release. [/Editor]
Subway Tunnel Collapse in Cologne Germany
Early indications are that a collapse of a subway tunnel station still under construction was to blame for the sinkhole that destroyed Cologne’s Historical Archive, home to documents dating back to 922 A.D. More info after the break. (Photo by DPA via Spiegel Online)