Projects

In order to ensure a supply of fire extinguishing water to both tunnels, fire extinguishing water systems are being installed according to national regulations. Both fire extinguishing water systems include fire extinguishing water tanks, pressure boosting units and controllers, as well as fire extinguishing water pipelines with portal and tunnel hydrants. The fire extinguishing water pipeline in the Žilina tunnel is designed as a DN 125 ductile cast iron “dry pipeline” with thermal insulation. The fire extinguishing water pipeline in the Ovčiarsko tunnel is designed as a DN 150 ductile cast iron “wet pipeline” with trace heating and thermal insulation.

The Bikoš tunnel is one of two tunnels planned on the northern bypass road from Prešov as part of the R4 dual carriageway. The tunnel will be about 1.15 kilometres long and pass through the hill of the same name in the municipality of Veľký Šariš. The two-tube tunnel will consist of a mined section and two cut-and-cover sections at the portals. The mined part of the tunnel tube will be driven in stages with horizontal segmentation of the excavation (roof arch, bench, floor).

The 678-metre-long single-tube tunnel is part of the Polish S69 dual carriageway between Bielsko-Biała and Zwardoń. It is about 10 kilometres from the Slovakian–Polish border. The Laliky tunnel is the first tunnel in Poland built with mining construction, as well as the longest Polish tunnel. It was driven with the new Austrian tunnelling method (NATM) using shotcrete. The tunnel tube has two formways with an outer arch made of shotcrete and an inner lining made of reinforced concrete. The two-lane tunnel tube with two-way traffic is connected to an escape and rescue tunnel by four cross cuts.

In the course of the nationwide project to improve traffic safety on the motorways and dual carriageways, the existing restraint systems were replaced and new elements were added. The renewal included steel and concrete equipment to protect against vehicle impact in accordance with the EN 1317 standard. Mobile protection equipment was installed at two points as an emergency opening for crossing over the central reservation.

Three new buildings are to be erected for Zug Estates AG on construction site F of the former industrial area. The lower floors of the up to 40-metre-high buildings will house commercial and service areas, while the upper floors are intended for residential space. The structure is a flexible frame construction, and all dividing walls are of lightweight construction and non-load-bearing. Basler & Hofmann is responsible for the pile foundations and structural systems of the buildings from preliminary study to implementation.

The 12-kilometre stretch of the A1 motorway from the Zurich East interchange to Effretikon is one of the most heavily used stretches of motorway in Switzerland with more than 110,000 vehicles per day. After over 40 years of use, this major artery of the Zurich metropolitan area will now be restored by 2020. A new, low-noise tarmac will be laid for improved noise protection, and 25 bridges, ramps, overpasses and underpasses will be renovated and reinforced.

The 3,985-metre-long Ulvin rail tunnel is part of the Norwegian E6-Dovrebanen project. This project includes expansion of the E6 motorway and the two-track railway line north of Oslo between Minnesund and Stange. The two-track Ulvin tunnel eliminates the obstacles of the hills near Ulvin and Morskogen along Lake Mjøsa. The tunnel is designed for transporting passengers and freight at a maximum line speed of 200 kilometres per hour. The tunnel was built with an inner lining made of in-situ concrete – a first for Norway’s railways

In the course of expanding half of the D3 motorway at the important new north–south axis between Žilina and the Polish border, the two Svrčinovec and Poľana single-tube tunnels with two-way traffic are being built on the stretch from Svrčinovec to Skalité. The 410-metre Svrčinovec tunnel is to the north of the village it is named after. The next tunnel, Poľana, is 893 metres long and near the village of Skalité. The tunnel rock primarily consists of clay and sandstone layers. The tunnels will be driven using mining construction with the new Austrian tunnelling method (NATM) using shotcrete and dual formwork. Each tunnel is equipped with an escape tunnel and the appropriate operation and safety facilities.

The rest stop on the left side of the D2 motorway between Kúty and Malacky was in a poor technical and aesthetic condition. In the course of the repairs, the paved surfaces and roads were renewed, and the drainage facilities were renovated and expanded. The open spaces were designed as relaxing areas with new plantings, seats, playgrounds and lighting in keeping with the motorway operator’s uniform standard.

Northern Zurich is now considered an up-and-coming new district. The eye-catching 1980s Ambassador House in northern Zurich was stripped down to the shell construction and extensively renovated. The highly segmented building was harmonised and restructured. At a length of 165 metres, a height of 30 metres and over 38,000 square metres of office space, the Ambassador House is one of the largest business premises in Switzerland. Basler & Hofmann AG was contracted to plan the support structures for all conversion measures on the building, including partial demolition.

With 110,000 vehicles a day, the section of national road between the Zurich East interchange and Effretikon is one of the most heavily used stretches of motorway in Switzerland. In order to optimise traffic, slip roads are to be extended, markings and signals replaced and speed harmonisation and a hazard warning system implemented. Over the medium term, the hard shoulders in both directions are to be converted into traffic lanes.

The Považský Chlmec tunnel is part of the D3 motorway northwest of the city of Žilina. During preparations for tunnel driving, two precuts (west and east) and an excavation for the access tunnel in the middle of the tunnel were made. The 20-metre-high east precut was stabilised with shotcrete and soil nailing, and anchors were installed as necessary. Pit lining with soil nailing and soldier pile walls was used for the access tunnel excavation.

The Turecký vrch rail tunnel is the most important underground structure along the 59-kilometre stretch between Nové Mesto nad Váhom and Púchov. This section will be expanded for a travel speed of 160 kilometres per hour in the course of work on the east–west rail corridor. The increased designed speed requires changes to the track layout for the two-track stretch between the Nové Mesto nad Váhom and Trenčianske Bohuslavice stations. A new tunnel of the same name will pass under the Turecký vrch mountain range for a distance of 1,775 metres. It is the first new rail tunnel to be built in Slovakia in 50 years.

During construction of the new Svrčinovec and Poľana single-tube tunnels on the D3 motorway to the Slovakian–Polish border, a non-reinforced concrete carriageway was installed. The superstructure consists of a 26-centimetre-thick concrete surface, an 18-centimetre-thick layer of hydraulically bonded granulate and a protective layer of gravel. The concrete surface is divided with three-millimetre-wide transverse and longitudinal joints. The joints were cut into the freshly hardened concrete surface. The transverse joints are reinforced with round steel wall plugs, and the longitudinal joints are reinforced with corrugated steel concrete anchors. The carriageway surface was processed before the concrete had hardened to give it a non-slip exposed-aggregate concrete structure.

The Poľana tunnel is part of the D3 motorway that connects Žilina to the border crossing to Poland in northern Slovakia. The two tunnel portals were stabilised with supporting structures made of gabions (cages filled with rocks). For the sections of slope on the sides, gabion gravity retaining walls were used, while the front sides were built as geosynthetic-reinforced supporting structures with gabions on the face. Four-metre-long uniaxial geogrids made of polyester were used for reinforcement. A tie-back anchored retaining wall was built to stabilise the embankment of the cut formed in front of the eastern portal of the Poľana tunnel. It was completed in stages, during which tie-back anchored elements with prestressed strand anchors and reinforced concrete ribs were produced. Cladding made of gabions was used for the infill.

Two operations centres were built for operation of the Bôrik tunnel on the D1 motorway between Mengusovce and Jánovce. The two tunnel service buildings are on the side in front of the tunnel portal and contain the operation and safety equipment. Both tunnel service buildings are single-storey, solid buildings, partially covered and accessible from the right carriageway.

Directly adjacent to the tracks of Zurich main station, SBB Real Estate is to build three towers up to 53 metres high. The joint podium will house retail and office space, while the upper floors are intended for apartments. Basler & Hofmann won the first place in the general planner competition and is responsible for the excavation, foundation, structural engineering and anti-vibration measures.

The Bôrik tunnel is part of the D1 motorway on the stretch from Mengusovce to Jánovce to the northwest of Svit in northern Slovakia. It allows a conflict-free track layout for the motorway in a developed area and the conservation area of the High Tatras national park. The tunnel is about one kilometre long and consists of two tubes, each with two lanes and three cross cuts spaced about every 250 metres. The tunnel tubes were driven with the new Austrian tunnelling method (NATM) using shotcrete and dual formwork.

The railway line from Žilina to Košice in eastern Slovakia is part of the new EU west–east rail corridor. In the stretch from Liptovský Mikuláš to Poprad Tatry, the two-track line will be expanded to eliminate speed bottlenecks. This requires construction of several new tunnels. The single-tube Štrba, Zámčisko and Palúdza tunnels will be designed for transporting passengers and freight at a maximum speed of 160 kilometres per hour. The 2.5-kilometre-long Štrba mined tunnel will pass under the Za hájom hills not far from the village of Štrba. A crossover will be built in the middle of the tunnel. The 155-metre-long Zámčisko tunnel is part of the Dúbrava/Zámčisko series of tunnels and consists of a 90-metre-long mined section and two short cut-and-cover sections. The 630-metre-long Palúdza tunnel will be built using the cut-and-cover method. The supporting structure consists of diaphragm walls that are 80 centimetres thick and 12 metres long.

In keeping with the new east–west corridors of the European railway network, modernising railway lines and rail tunnels is a top priority for Slovakia. During retrofitting of railway line No. 120 on the Púchov–Považská Bystrica section between Púchov and Žilina, the Milochov tunnel will be built with a length of 1,955 metres. The maximum speed in the two-track, single-tube tunnel for transporting passengers and freight will be 160 kilometres per hour. Trains with tilting technology can travel at up to 200 kilometres per hour. The tunnel tube consists of a mined section and two cut-and-cover sections. The mined part of the tunnel tube will be driven in stages with horizontal segmentation of the excavation (roof arch, bench, floor).

A new residential area is being built in the Žitava estate in Vráble. It will include 10 identical residential buildings, each with 36 flats. The buildings have six storeys and contain two- and three-room flats with an area between 52 and 78 square metres. The flats on the top floor have a roof terrace or green roof, while all the other flats feature either a balcony or a loggia.

There is a risk of rockfall along 6.9 kilometres of the I/18 main road between Žilina and Martin. Various protective structures were built as immediate measures: rockfall protection nets and barriers, protective fences, anchored reinforced concrete ribs and an anchored retaining wall.

The I/18 main road between Žilina and Martin in northern Slovakia is at risk of a major rockfall below the Strečno rock face. Before a protection gallery is built, two large overhanging rocks have to be stabilised at a height of 25 metres above the road as an emergency measure. They are stabilised using rock anchors for brittle rock, as well as two tie-back anchored, solid retaining walls.

The I/13 main road connects the Slovakian town of Medveďov with Vámosszabadi, Hungary, and spans the Danube with a cross-border bridge at kilometre marker 1806.35. The bridge surface in the third segment of the Danube bridge was in need of renovation. The renovation performed along a length of 38 metres included repairs and partial renewal of the reinforced concrete surface, repairs to the pavements and drainage, as well as resurfacing and resealing.