Bauer rig working in Switzerland

Bauer Spezialtiefbau Schweiz AG is part of the Joint Venture Consorzio Jetting Lugano. The client for this project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2010, is the Canton of Tessin.

During the construction works, considerable difficulties were caused by two artesian groundwater horizons resulting in significant artesian pressures. In addition, boulders up to 4 m in diameter, had to be drilled through at depths between 20 and 28 m.

The City of Lugano in the south of Switzerland, is experiencing considerable problems with the volume of traffic approaching daily from the north, via the motorway. A new 2.63 km-long Vedeggio-Casserate road tunnel under the Trevano Hill is intended to alleviate traffic problems.

The geology of the 2630 m long tunnel comprises a 2370 m long section in rock and a 260 m long section in soft ground. For part of the soft ground section at the eastern portal of the tunnel, a 70 m long and 28 m wide excavation pit had to be constructed from which the tunnel could be advanced by conventional mining techniques.


Bauer rig working in Switzerland
Bauer rig working in Switzerland