Geotechnical considerations in tunnel design and contract preparation

In today’s climate of rampant inflation and high interest rates, an extremely important consideration in all underground works is the completion of the project on schedule. An underground hydroelectric project under construction may be one of the most exciting places for an engineer to visit but, until it is complete and is producing power, it can also be a financial black hole into which huge amounts of public money can disappear. The same is true of almost all underground civil engineering works, the majority of which are owned by public utilities and funded by the average taxpayer.