Los Olmos tunnel project under the Peruvian Andes Mountains
Project Related

Los Olmos Tunneling Resumes

The construction of a 20-km tunnel that travels some 6,900-ft below ground has finally restarted after being broken down for several months after being damaged by a rock burst. The Los Olmos tunneling project will […]

Project Related

New Tunnel Project In Peru Through Andes

From ENR:

In the mountains of Peru a tunnel-boring machine named “Pacha Mama” is grinding through the heart of the Andes under rock as deep as 6,890 ft. It is carving away at a 20.2-kilometer-long tunnel through the South American Continental Divide to deliver water to arid coastal farmland.

This is a really interesting project, known as the Los Olmos project, and a nice little article. Normally for a civil tunnel project you drill geotechnical holes beforehand to know what kind of material you’re dealing with. In this case, because of the depth, they don’t have that luxury, so all decisions will be made on the fly. The depth of the tunnel creates some very challenging rock mechanics and logistics problems as well! (Illustration by Odebrecht)

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