ABSTRACT
There are many complex political and technical issues and decisions in the planning and financing of any infrastructure project. Perceived high cost is an assumption that prematurely eliminates consideration of tunnels in many cases. These premature decisions are usually made only on the basis of initial capital cost since there is a general misconception that tunnels cost too much and therefore need not be considered at all. In fact the true long-term cost of a tunnel may or may not be more expensive than surface or elevated schemes. When evaluated from the standpoint of Life Cycle Cost and Benefits there are examples of tunnels having benefits that outweigh their higher initial capital cost and many examples of tunnels being “in the competitive range”.
