One of the vast underground UK erection chambers built to assemble the huge tunnel boring machines on the Channel Tunnel project
Before the four huge UK Channel Tunnel Boring Machines were able to start excavating towards France, or back towards Folkestone, they first had to be assembled underground in specially built erection chambers beneath Shakespeare Cliff in Dover. The scale of these chambers was vast and they were dubbed cathedrals by the workforce. They were quickly constructed using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) which utilises steel reinforcement for support and sprayed concrete. This is the completed erection chamber for the North Land Rail Tunnel Boring Machine before the lifting hoists were installed. The Channel Tunnel was the greatest construction project of the 20th century and is considered one of the wonders of the modern age.
Size: 4961px × 4961px
Location: Underground chamber at Shakespeare Cliff, Dover, UK
Photo credit: © qaphotos.com / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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