ABSTRACT
Hong Kong, known for the most densely populated urban environment, faces significant land resource constraints. To address growing demands for road networks, infrastructure, and public facilities, Hong Kong has proactively developed and utilized its underground space. Developing large-scale underground tunnels in urban Hong Kong presents significant challenges in alignment planning, design, and construction due to the complex urban constraints, such as metro lines, private properties, historical heritage. Additionally, stringent requirements regarding ground settlement, building distortion and vibration control, along with the need for stakeholder coordination further complicate the large-tunnel development in the urban setting. This paper presents a recent large-scale tunnel project in Hong Kong, highlighting the alignment planning considerations and detailing the challenges faced and the innovative solutions employed during its design and construction stages. The sustainable strategies and best practices discussed in this paper can serve as valuable examples for underground road tunnel development in other densely populated urban environments.
