High and Deep Andean Tunnel Tests a Contractor's Mettle
By C.J. Schexnayder

Brazilian construction giant Construtora Norberto Odebrecht S.A. has taken on a difficult construction challenge - drilling an 11.2-kilometer tunnel through a mountain more than 2,400 meters high in Central Ecuador. A pair roof collapses late last year trapped an $11.2-million tunnel boring machine requiring several months to rescue and get the project back on track.
Full Story >>

Cement work at the juncture of the headrace tunnel and the pen stock. The tunnel drops vertically for several hundred meters into the powerhouse for the San Francisco Power Plant.
(Photo by C.J. Schexnayder)
 
Advertisement