Proceedings:
18th Australasian Tunnelling Society Conference
Publication Date:
Nov 2023
Authors:
Ben Tuckwell and Conrad Stacey
The context of global warming is clear, following the knowledge on the geophysics of carbon not only in the biosphere (atmosphere, but also the oceans and tectonically). In this paper, aspects of the carbon budget of a typical Australian road tunnel are discussed, demonstrating that in the global context, ‘sustainability’ of road tunnel projects is much more than a box ticking exercise.
The quantitative guidance will be most relevant to the concept phase of tunnel projects, where the carbon costs are largely determined. Design decisions significantly impact a project’s carbon cost (or benefit) and the ability of governments to address their own carbon reduction targets and the UN Sustainable Development Goals 11 to 13. Design decisions with substantial weight in determining the overall carbon cost through a project’s design life include: tunnel depth, tunnel form and materials, philosophy and policy of ventilation operation and the consequent plant size and selection.
The quantitative guidance will be most relevant to the concept phase of tunnel projects, where the carbon costs are largely determined. Design decisions significantly impact a project’s carbon cost (or benefit) and the ability of governments to address their own carbon reduction targets and the UN Sustainable Development Goals 11 to 13. Design decisions with substantial weight in determining the overall carbon cost through a project’s design life include: tunnel depth, tunnel form and materials, philosophy and policy of ventilation operation and the consequent plant size and selection.