ABSTRACT
The Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) incorporates the latest safety standards in tunnelling. The project consists of two main tunnels, an exploratory tunnel and four adits. The operational safety plan of the BBT includes the construction of cross-passages and 3 emergency stops. The emergency stops connect to the external adits allowing the intervention of emergency vehicles and the extraction of smokes in case of fire. The present paper focuses on the construction experience related to the construction of the Italian emergency stop in Trens. This underground work consists in a central tunnel connected through cross-passages to the main tunnels. The main design and construction challenges are represented by the interaction between underground structures in combination with the high overburden and medium-low strength rock mass. The excavation is currently successfully completed. A comparison between the forecast geology and the cross-check will be analyzed also considering the data from the in-depth monitoring system.
