The winners of the 8th EDITION OF ITA TUNNELLING AWARDS

The 8th edition of the ITA Tunnelling and Underground Space Awards ended last week, and the winners in the eight categories were announced during the event that was held online. Since 2015, this international competition seeks and rewards remarkable achievements in tunnelling and the underground industry. Organized by the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, the event both showcases the most ambitious underground projects all over the world as well as the latest innovations, techniques, and methods in tunnelling.

Arnold Dix, President of the ITA, praised the quality of the award-winning projects, underlining that “The Tunnelling Awards is a celebration of the great milestones and the great innovations achieved. It also highlights the contributions made to our planet and people. This year, 70 nominations from almost 20 countries have been considered by a panel of independently select judges. The ceremony today rewards the best in our industry, from the largest projects on earth right through to the latest innovations and productions. These amazing achievements can be enjoyed today”.

The winners in each category of the 8th edition of ITA Tunnelling Awards:

MAJOR PROJECT OF THE YEAR – Purple line extension – Los Angeles (USA)

TUNNELLING PROJECT OF THE YEAR (50 – 500 M €) – World’s first spiral excavation using H&V shield tunnelling method (JAPAN)

PROJECT OF THE YEAR – Up To 50 M€ including renovation – Guanyinyan tunnel – An urban tunnel project of the unequal span four-arch-tunnel with two- ways and ten- lanes (CHINA)

TECHNICAL INNOVATION OF THE YEAR – Unprecedented in-tunnel diameter conversion of the largest hard rock TBM in the USA

BEYOND ENGINEERING – Multi pipe jacking method for the construction of city core metro station in soft soil strata (CHINA)

PRODUCT / EQUIPMENT INNOVATION OF THE YEAR – Integration of robotics into the construction works of the Chuquicaamata underground mining site (CHILE)

INNOVATIVE UNDERGROUND SPACE USE – V-column space of Shenzen Huangmugang transportation hub (CHINA)

YOUNG TUNNELLER OF THE YEAR – Erica Frederickson (USA)