Contractor Carlomagno Gaetano from Lagonegro in northern Italy has been contracted by main contractor SIS to build the new Renazza Tunnel on the A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway
The previous tunnel, which collapsed in the past, is constructed through fragile ground conditions of mainly sand and clay, calling for delicate operations.
Italian-Spanish contractor SIS entrusted Carlomagno with the excavation and with disposal of the excavated material from the tunnel workings.
The two tunnel bores run parallel to the previous tunnel gallery, presenting several problems for the contractor in the delicate ground conditions.
Leading the way is a
“Twenty years ago, soon after its opening, the tunnel collapsed,” says manager Nicola Carlomagno. “For this reason the new construction involves long stages of strengthening of the tunnel walls before advancing.”
As the CX350B advances, pre-cast reinforced concrete sections forming an arch within the tunnel walls are installed to provide structural strength. Two Case CX230B excavators are used to load material onto trucks, while a 435CT compact tracked loader is used to keep the working area clean.
A short radius CX50 mini excavator with a hydraulic breaker is also being used on the contract to prepare the area where support beams leading to the tunnels will be placed.
Carlomagno originally started in the quarry industry and has moved into public works and infrastructure more recently. The company has experience of the Case machines from its quarry workings, leading to further purchases from supporting dealer Lucana Tractors of Vaglio Lucano.
Within the quarries the company has a CX230B that has amounted 5,164 working hours in just 18 months, along with a Case 821E wheeled loader that offers high productivity and low fuel consumption.
The 700,000m3 of excavated material from the tunnel bores is being transported to the company’s Zanco Quarry near to the project. Here the 821E is being used to reinstate the quarry working and reform the shape of the mountain, which will eventually be covered in chestnut trees typical of the area.
“The idea came after realising the amount of material coming out of the tunnel excavation,” says Carlomagno. “We talked about it with the regional authorities and they liked the idea. The quarry side will come back to its original shape, thanks to the large quantities of earth which will naturally recreate the mountain.”
Meanwhile, in the UK, a leading UK supplier of York stone paving has taken delivery of a new Case Construction Equipment CX700B mass excavation unit.
The 70tonne, 360º degree machine is working in Fairhurst’s sandstone quarry at Ravensworth, County North Yorkshire, England, where, fitted with a Miller Rock Bucket it has been digging out blocks of stone weighing up to 30tonnes. These are loaded into the company’s fleet of heavy trucks and taken to be cut into high quality York stone slabs for paving and landscaping.
The machine was delivered by Case dealer C J Leonard & Sons, Guisborough, County Cleveland, north-east England, to replace another machine.
The machine, which was scheduled to move to the company’s quarry in Whitworth, County Lancashire, northern England, is equipped with the latest Case B Series cab, from where operators can select from a choice of modes to suit the application: Super power mode gives speed priority when required; Heavy Working mode optimises productivity and fuel efficiency. The Automatic High Dump mode helps reduce cycle times and boost productivity.
