Tunnelling in Hungary - The M6 chain of tunnels / Tunnelbau in Ungarn - Tunnelkette M6

In Hungary, a motorway network is being built in a star shape starting in Budapest. The M6 motorway runs southward from Budapest towards Croatia and will also link the city of Pécs, the European Capital of Culture for 2010 to the network. A consortium consisting of the firms Strabag, Colas, John Laing and Intertoll were awarded a contract in autumn 2007 to design, build and operate a section with a length of 48 km. An important part of the works is the construction of the M6 tunnel chain consisting of four twin-bore, two-lane motorway tunnels. These tunnels were built by Strabag. During the driving of the longest tunnel, a collapse occurred in summer 2008, in which both tunnel bores caved in over a length of 200 m. The lecture reports on the driving of the tunnel through the collapsed area and the construction of the subsequent inner lining works, which made it possible to maintain the opening date.