The Vallirana tunnels (Catalonia), built by FCC Construcción, have been finalists of the prestigious NCE Tunnelling awards, in the categories “best tunnel project of the year” and “innovation in tunnel excavation”.

The NCE Tunnelling are prestigious awards, organized by the New Civil Engineer magazine, in which international construction companies participate. On December 5 will be known in winner in each category.
The works of the Vallirana Variant, include a tunnel with two tubes, one for each direction of circulation, 1400 meters long each. Three emergency galleries have been arranged that connect both tunnels and equidistant approximately 300 m between them. Similarly, the corresponding lighting, ventilation, S.O.S. and PA, access control, traffic, electricity, closed circuit television, and fire protection. Median steps have been arranged next to each of the mouths of the tunnels to allow deviations in case of accidents or maintenance work.

Along the section, to save the passage on the existing rivers and give access to the Vallirana poblation and the adjacent urbanizations, 6 structures, 2 transverse drainage works and one longitudinal one have been designed.

In addition, it includes two links: Vallirana Oeste connecting with the CN-340 on the Tarragona and Vallirana Este  connecting with the “Cervelló Variant” on the Barcelona.

This action will offer an alternative route to the more than 18,000 vehicles that circulate daily on the N-340 road in Vallirana.