Updated: November 01, 2002

International Happenings

Transportation Research Board | Tunnel Talk

There are several interesting issues taking place on the international scene that may be of interest to tunnel engineers.

Tunnel Fire

As I have previously reported, on March 24, 1999 a severe fire occurred inside the Mont Blanc Tunnel, a road tunnel linking the countries of France and Italy. The final report on the fire is complete and can be downloaded as follows:

Dowload the final update report on the Mont Blanc Tunnel fire.
• Microsoft Word (Zip file - 61kb.)
• Plain Text (Zip file - 50kb.)

The preliminary report from March 24, on the Mont Blanc Tunnel fire can be downloaded below.
• Microsoft Word (Zip file - 39kb.)
• Plain Text (Zip file - 25kb.)

World Road Association (PIARC): This organization is comprised of 16 separate Committees that are devoted to engineering, policy and management of highway transportation. One of the Committees, C-5, ROAD TUNNEL OPERATION is dedicated to the development of various technical reports on best practices and design recommendations in tunnel engineering. The topics that are presently being developed, by Committee C-5, are:

1. Operation
2. Pollution, Environment and Ventilation
3. Human Behavior
4. Safety, Signaling and Geometry
5. Transport of Dangerous Goods through Tunnels
6. Fire and Smoke Control

There have been several meetings of the Committee and the scope of each Working Group (WG) has been defined and the respective work plans have been approved. The final product will be a presentation of approximately 12 technical papers at the next World Congress to be held in Durbin, South Africa in October 2003. You can keep abreast of the activities by contacting the web page at, http://www.piarc.com

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): This organization is based in Paris, France and is a unique forum permitting governments of the industrialize democracies to study and formulate the best policies possible in all economic and social spheres. It presently has a membership of 29 nations, including the United States.

The Transport Research Program is finalizing its work on Scientific Expert Group ERS2, "Transport of Dangerous Goods through Road Tunnels". The main aim of the research into transportation of dangerous material is to achieve an overall improvement in the safety of the transportation of these goods by road. The final report will provide a rational approach of the risks involved in transportation of dangerous items through road tunnels. It will contain a systematic, fundamental and internationally coordinated approach for determining risk, reducing measures and to provide a working computer model that could be recognized and utilized by tunnel owners, operators and regulatory agencies.

The project consists of four separate TASKS as follows:

Task 1 - Current Regulations
Task 2 - Risk Assessment and Decision Process
Task 3 - Risk Reduction Measures
Task 4 - Conclusion and Recommendations

The technical descriptive part of the research is completed and the results have been published by OECD in a report entitled "Safety In Tunnels - Transport of Dangerous Goods Through Road Tunnels". It is available at OECD's Internet address, http://www.SourceOECD.org. The software product of Task 2 is still in its final stages of development for a Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) computer model and a Decision Support Model (DSM). These models will assist in making a scientific determination in permitting or prohibiting the passage of dangerous goods through a specific tunnel.

Transportation Research Board

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is a unit of the National Research Council, which serves the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The Board's purposes are to stimulate research concerning the nature and performance of transportation systems, to disseminate the information produced by the research, and to encourage the application of appropriate research findings. The Board devotes attention to all factors pertinent to the understanding, design, and function of systems for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods, including

• Planning, design, construction, operation, safety, and maintenance of transportation facilities and their components
• Economics, financing, and administration of transportation facilities and services
• Interaction of transportation systems with one another and with the physical, economic, and social environment that they are designed to serve.