Project Name:   Mt Ovit Road Tunnel

Location: Turkey

Application: Sprayed Concrete Lining (Shotcrete)

The twin tube Mt Ovit tunnel is Turkey’s longest road tunnel at 14,700m. By linking the Black Sea with Turkeys eastern regions and the rest of the Middle East this tunnel will turn the Black Sea Port into a major trade hub.

Initially, this project faced major safety concerns and time delays caused by the installation of steel mesh. Given the potential delays caused by the extremities of winter conditions on Mt Ovit it was crucial to the project owners that there be minimal to no delays in excavation speeds.
To solve these problems designers looked to Macro Synthetic Fiber as a possible alternative as it eliminated the need to fix steel mesh, a significant consumer of time.

Once the Mt Ovit Tunnels designers decided to make the switch to Macro Synthetic Fibers, excavation speeds increased from 7.10m/day to 9m/day and overall production speeds increased 25%. This speed increase led to the project being completed an estimated 106 days earlier than expected which represents a huge saving in costs for the project owner and minimised the impact of a harsh Mt Ovit winter.

Outcomes:

• Increased development speeds by 25%
• Reduced overall construction schedule by more than 100 days
• Eliminated the risk of corrosion
• Removed safety risks during steel mesh installation

Author:  Geoff Sedgman: gsedgman@elastoplastic.com