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  TBM Excavation in Himalayan Geology: Over 1,200 Meters per Month at the Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project

  A Double Shield TBM achieved in 17 months what was projected to have taken 12 years with Drill & Blast: The 12.2 km long Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP). Bored in Himalayan geology including sandstone, mudstone, and conglomerate, the excavation was able to achieve over 1,200 m advance per month on multiple occasions. Crews achieved this while traversing a fault zone and getting through one section that required a bypass tunnel constructed in just five days. The success of this tunnel is not only in breaking through a historically difficult mountain range, but also in changing the notion, to the people of Nepal, that drill and blast is the way to excavate mountainous rock tunnels. This paper highlights the BBDMP excavation using the first-ever TBM in Nepal, examining the geology and how the machine was able to get through fault zones, squeezing ground, and water inflows. The paper draws conclusions as to the role of geological conditions, TBM design, operation, and logistics in the completion of the excavation nearly one year earlier than projected.

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