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Despite advanced site investigations and geotechnical modeling, tunnel projects still face costly surprises—unexpected groundwater, soft soils, or rock instability leading to delays, redesigns, and budget overruns. Why does this keep happening? Are we not investing enough in site investigations, or is it just an unavoidable risk? Geotechnical engineers, tunnel designers, and contractors—what’s been your biggest tunneling challenge, and how do we improve risk management?
(Tunnel Engineer): Should tunnel projects require mandatory geotechnical risk contingencies in their initial budgets?
(Contractor - Tunneling & Excavation): We often deal with water ingress that wasn’t accounted for in early design. Dewatering solutions get improvised, but shouldn’t better hydrogeological studies be standard?
(Hydrogeologist): Would integrating real-time groundwater monitoring during tunneling help detect risks early, or is that too costly?
(Structural Engineer - Underground Support Systems): Some failures come from inadequate support design. The pressure on shotcrete, rock bolts, and linings varies with geology, but sometimes we underdesign for worst-case scenarios.
(Geotechnical Engineer): Should we always design conservatively, or would that make projects too expensive?
(Tunnel Engineer - TBM & Cut-and-Cover Methods): Many projects push ahead with incomplete geotechnical data because of schedule pressures. Then, when soil conditions differ from predictions, we’re stuck with expensive change orders.
(Project Manager - Heavy Civil Construction): Would it make sense to split tunnel projects into phased contracts, where excavation starts only after complete investigations?
(Geotechnical Engineer - Soil Mechanics): No matter how much investigation we do, subsurface conditions are inherently unpredictable. Borehole spacing, cost limitations, and time constraints mean we never get a full picture before excavation starts.
Makes sense. Do you think denser borehole testing would help, or are there better ways to improve data accuracy?
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(Government & Infrastructure Planner): Funding is often allocated before full investigations are complete. By the time we find out about geotechnical risks, it’s too late to change budgets.