Tunneling under the Alps

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The Alp Transit Tunnel was the obvious answer to the woes of European merchants and truckers who are deterred by the roadblock the majestic Alps present to them, while the rest of the world wonder about in awe about its magnificence oblivious to the woes of others!

The Alps transit Tunnel will extend to over 56 miles, making it the largest tunnel in the world! A team of miners risk death beneath billions of pounds of mountain, carving out massive support and maintenance tunnels. For the main channel, engineers use custom-designed TBMs (Tunnel Boring Machines) – 250 feet long, 33 feet in diameter, with 500-pound drilling heads that pound the rock into submission.

But it is a highly risky venture as in this subterranean world, rock actually explodes, walls crumble, floods erupt and great rivers of mud are seemingly everywhere. To cope with these fatal calamities, men are fitted with special laser imaging equipment that helps workers forecast potential fractures and cave-ins. Once a section has been dug, concrete walls are thrown up to keep the newly carved portion from collapsing – but if the concrete dries too fast, it implodes under the pressure, and the mountain comes crashing down. This documentary captures the spine-chilling extremities beautifully enthralling the audience.

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