Chapter 74

TUNNELING THROUGH COBBLES

IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
Rafael Castro
Formally with Underground Construction Managers, Inc.

Ross Webb
Affholder Incorporated

Joel Nonnweiler
Sacramento Regional County Sanitary District

ABSTRACT
The three thousand foot long 66-inch diameter Folsom East Interceptor Section
2B was completed accident free, on time and under budget with no measurable
surface settlement. The tunnel passed through nested cobbles, highly abrasive sands
and gravels, and abandoned mine workings with less than five-feet of cover at times.
Preventing settlement was critical since the tunnel passed under a heavily traveled
state highway. A pilot project to test microtunneling and pipejacking methods in the
same ground conditions abandoned both drives before completing the planned drive
lengths. This paper discusses performance of the conventional tunneling method
selected to excavate the ground and the effectiveness of the ground modification
techniques employed.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The Folsom East Interceptor Section 2B (FE2B) project is one component of the
Sacramento Regional County Sanitary Districts (District) plan to increase the capacity
of its existing 95 miles of interceptor system. The project was located in Folsom
California, approximately 18 miles east of Californias Capital, Sacramento. Refer to
Figure 1 for the project alignment. FE2B parallels the northern side of Folsom Blvd.
and extends from just west of U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) toward the Folsom Pump
Station No. 1 to approximately Iron Point Road. Bound on either side by Section 2A of
the proposed Folsom East Interceptor system, the FE2B alignment is approximately
3,000 feet long.
FE2B was designed for and constructed using tunneling to minimize impacts to
US 50 a four-lane highway that was being widened to six lanes concurrently with the
FE2B project. Also adjacent to the US50 were protected seasonal wetlands in a
California State Park. A two-pass system was used. Ten-foot O.D. continuous
temporary ground support was designed by the Contractor and consisted of steel ribs

907

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2001 RETC PROCEEDINGS

Figure 1. Project alignment

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909

and steel lagging which were expanded against the excavated ground. The final carrier
pipe consisted of 66-inch I.D. reinforced concrete pipe installed within the initial
support and the annulus filled with low-density cellular concrete.
Two tunnel drives were completed from the midpoint of the alignment (manhole 23).
The mid point of the alignment was the only area where wetland was not present and
enough space was available to stage the tunneling operations. First, the State Park
Tunnel was excavated toward the Iron Point Road end of the alignment (manhole 26).
The State Park tunnel was excavated through a designated test area 150 feet in length,
where the Contractor demonstrated the surface settlement limitations set forth in the
contract documents would not be exceeded using the selected means and methods.
After completing of the State Park Tunnel drive, the TBM was lifted out of manhole 26 exit
shaft and moved to the main access shaft and began the US 50 Tunnel drive in the
opposite direction to manhole 20. Figure 1 shows the alignment and the tunnel
segments.
The Contract was awarded to Affholder Incorporated for $7.14M. Work began in
early June 1999 and was completed in early January 2000.
SUBSURFACE CONDITIONS
Ground encountered in the FE2B tunnel consisted primarily of two units: an
alluvial channel deposit (Alluvium) overlying a tuffaceous mudstone and welded tuff
(Merhten Formation). Except for approximately 1000 feet of the alignment the interface
between these two formations was for the most part below the invert of the excavated
tunnel. In the portion of the alignment that the Merhten formation was present within
the tunnel, the interface undulated quite rapidly in elevation from just near the invert to
over the tunnel crown. Of course, this mixed face condition occurred when tunneling
below US 50. The ground water table was located below the excavated tunnel invert.
Detailed description and ground behavior of these formations is discussed below.
Alluvium
The Geotechnical Baseline Report (GBR) predicted the Alluvium to be the
predominant sediments encountered in the FE2B tunnel. The alluvium consisted
largely of brown, well-graded GRAVEL with sand (GW); to COBBLES in a matrix of
gravel with sand. The alluvium generally contained a minor fines fraction, typically less
than 10% by weight, although also present were clean (less than five percent) sands
and gravels. Where gravel was predominant, cobbles were generally common or
numerous. The gravel and sand appeared to consist chiefly of granitic material.
Small boulders (< 20 inches in maximum dimension) were also common or
numerous within much of the alluvium as indicated on the Geologic Profile. Many large
boulders (> 20 inches in maximum dimension) were encountered along approximately
117 feet of the Highway 50 Tunnel. The maximum dimension of the large boulders
encountered was typically 24 to 30 inches. These larger boulders typically required
stopping the TBM and rotating the head to feed them onto the conveyor. Occasionally
laborers had to enter the plenum to lift them into the TBM. One boulder, at least 35" in
maximum dimension, had to be broken up with a jackhammer for removal. Boulders
and cobbles within the alluvium were typically composed of very hard, mafic volcanic
rock (andesite and basalt). Occasionally quartz boulders or cobbles were
encountered.
Although the fines content of the alluvium was typically less than 5 to 10%, they
generally provided sufficient cohesion to classify the alluvium as slow to fast raveling
ground, as anticipated in the GBR (which referenced Tunnelmans Classification).

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During the advance of the tunnel directly beneath US50, some ground loss
occurred in the alluvium above the TBM. This was an area of mixed face conditions
with only 12 to 24-inches of loose gravel with sand and numerous cobbles (alluvium)
exposed at the crown of the tunnel face, overlying the much denser Merhten.
The contact between the base of the alluvium and the underlying Merhten was
characteristically irregular, with undulations of two feet or more readily apparent within
the 10-foot width of the tunnel at some locations.
Merhten Formation
The Geotechnical Baseline Report (GBR) predicted 200 feet of Merhten
Formation would be encountered in the FE2B tunnel. This formation consisted of a thin
layer (6-inches to 3-feet thick) of hard welded tuff overlying a softer tuffaceous
mudstone. The welded tuff consisted of hard to very hard, fresh to moderately
weathered, very coarse to fine grained WELDED LITHIC LAPILLI TUFF to
TUFFACEOUS SANDSTONE. As the name indicates this rock was composed of
crystalline rock fragments and ash, highly indurated into a coherent mass. Included
rock fragments were angular to sub-rounded, and predominantly rhyolitic in lithology.
The differential hardness of this unit, contributed significantly to bit wear, and in all
probability to shearing off of ripper teeth. This unit was notably harder and more
resistant than the alluvium above or the underlying dark gray volcanic mudstone
(described below). Apparently as a result of its hardness and the geometry of its
occurrence, it tended to break into larger cobble and boulder sized fragments.
Although the upper and lower surface of this unit undulated substantially, it generally
transected the face, nearly horizontally, at or above the spring line for over 750 feet.
Below the welded tuff layer was the softer Merhten, which consisted of very hard
to soft, gray, fresh to slightly weathered, very coarse to fine grained TUFFACEOUS
MUDSTONE (LAHAR). Although it was not readily apparent, it appears that it was
present just above or below the tunnel invert along the entire alignment of the US 50
tunnel. Lahars are volcanic mudflows formed by rapid mixing of loose volcanic debris
and water that move down river systems to form thick, chaotic deposits of large and
small fragments in a fine-grained matrix. As a result, lahars typically contain
pyroclastic volcanic debris with intermixed fluvial material, and frequently fragments of
wood. Most of the larger fragments observed in the gray tuffaceous mudstone
encountered at the site consisted predominantly of very hard, rounded to sub-rounded
(water worn), dark gray to black, andesitic to basaltic, cobbles and small boulders.
Occasional clasts two to three feet in maximum dimension were encountered. The
angularity of the individual clasts generally appeared to increase as the grain size
decreased. The fine-grained matrix appeared to consist primarily of volcanic ash. In
the tunnel muck, the origin of rounded alluvial cobbles and boulders was often difficult
to determine under mixed face conditions. Very hard cobbles and boulders embedded
in the volcanic mudstone, however, clearly contributed to increased bit wear.
PILOT PROJECT
A Construction Methods Proving Project (Pilot Project) was completed by the
District to assess the feasibility of two construction methods being considered for the
FE2B project. This project was completed under a separate contract during the design
phase of FE2B. The site for the Pilot Project was located several hundred feet west of
the FE2B alignment where ground conditions were believed to be similar in nature.
Two drives were attempted with two different types of microtunneling-pipe jacking
machines. One machine was an open face with rotating cutter bar type and the second

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Table 1. Tunnel boring machine availability and utilization

No. of Shifts
(During
Working Days
Only)
TBM On Site [1] :

81

7/10/99 to 11/1/99 (inclusive)

TBM Prep Time [2] :

18

7/9/99 to 7/26/99 State Park Tunnel &

8/31/99 to 9/14/99 US 50 Tunnel (non
inclusive)

TBM Mechanical Delay [3] :

14.2

TBM related delays such as teeth

changes, motor changes, conveyor break
downs, etc..

2.7

Non-TBM related delays such as waiting

on train, surveyors, generator problem,
etc.

TBM not in Use

(not due to TBM mech. delay) [4] :

Availability :

60.2%

( [1] - [2] - [3] ) / [1]

Utilization :

94.5%

( [1] - [2] - [3] -[4] ) / ( [1] - [2] - [3] )

Total Footage Tunneled :

2975 ft

3029 ft [shaft diameters (32 & 22 ft)]

Average Production Per Shift :

36.7 ft/shift

Average Production Per Shift

TBM Available :

64.5 ft/shift

was a slurry machine with a rock crusher. Neither machine was capable of excavating
the ground effectively causing larges voids, surface settlement, and significant damage
to both the pipes being jacked and the machines themselves. The reader is referred to
the referenced report for complete description of the Pilot Project. Based on the results
of this Pilot Project, the District decided to exclude microtunneling or pipejacking as an
option for the FE2B project. Conventional tunneling with and earth pressure balance
machine was specified.
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS AND PROGRESS
This section describes the construction process, with details of the equipment and
methods used to complete the tunneling. Refer to Figure 4 and Table 1 for production
rates and TBM availability.
Shaft Sinking
The project included seven shafts all at manhole locations. Of the seven one was
used for a work shaft and two others were used for retrieval shafts. Shallow depth,
minimal groundwater, and good standup time made shaft sinking fast and uneventful.
The liner plate and steel rib work shaft was 32' diameter by 37' deep. The upper 20'
were excavated with a Cat 330 excavator. The remainder was completed using a Cat
307 excavator in the bottom filling a muck box to be lifted and dumped by crane. All
other shafts were sunk with an excavator working from the surface. Shoring for the 22'
diameter upstream retrieval shaft was also steel liner plate. The remaining shafts were
shored with trench boxes and steel plates.

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2001 RETC PROCEEDINGS

Tunneling
Tunnel construction was completed with a Lovat, tunnel boring machine (TBM)
using a two-pass lining system. The initial and final liner consisted of steel ribs with full
steel lagging, and 66" reinforced concrete pipe respectively. The 3025 foot long tunnel
was completed in two drives. The 1416 foot long State Park Tunnel was driven first.
The TBM was repositioned and the 1514 foot long U.S. 50 Tunnel was driven. The
state park section of the tunnel was straight with one deflection point while the U.S. 50
section was curved along most of the alignment.
Ground cover to the tunnel crown ranged from 45 under U.S. 50 to less than two
feet at the downstream end. It averaged 25' under the State Park. Water was present
below springline throughout much of the tunnel but inflows were minimal and easily
handled by a ten hp pump in the shaft.
Equipment
A 110-ton American Crawler friction crane on surface handled all mucking and
hoisting including setting and retrieving the TBM. In the tunnel all haulage equipment
was rail bound. Eight-ton Greenburg electric locomotives supplied by Mining
Equipment Company were used for muck and material haulage. The locomotive pulled
a train consisting of four 7 cubic yard muck boxes and two flatcars. Due to the short
length of the drives no switches were used in the tunnel.
The specification allowed for the use of either an open face digger shield with
breasting capability or a closed face Lovat or equal TBM. Both machines were required
to pass boulders up to 20 inches in diameter. Affholder elected to use a Lovat TBM
based on the crews substantial experience with Lovat machines and the availability of
a suitable machine in Affholders fleet. While Affholder owned smaller diameter Lovats
the consensus was that without substantial modification the smaller Lovat machines
wouldnt be able to pass a 20" boulder and might prove under powered for the difficult
ground anticipated.
The TBM selected was a Lovat model 121 PJ/RL series 8600. Refer to Figure 2.
This TBM has a total connected horsepower of 350 and a maximum thrust of 850 tons.
It is propels itself off the initial support and has a 5.5 foot stroke. The cutter head had
six openings to allow material to enter the plenum. Initially the TBM was equipped with
hydraulically operated doors for these openings but after the first 125 feet of tunnel the
cobbles and boulders destroyed the hydraulic door cylinders. The doors were deemed
unnecessary to control the ground and were subsequently removed.
Initially, muck removal was facilitated by a 300-degree muck ring, mounted in the
center of the forward shell, which transfers the muck to the conveyor system. After the
first several hundred feet of the State Park Tunnel, most of the muck ring had been torn
or sheared off by the boulders and cobbles. The TBM tunneled the remainder of the
State Park Tunnel and the entire U.S. 50 tunnel without the muck ring. It was found that
the material was dry and cemented enough to hold a stable vertical face in most
instances. The TBM performed well given the difficult nature of the ground. The
majority of mechanical downtime was related to changing teeth.
Despite the Lovats mechanical reliability nothing really seemed to work well for
the cutting tools. The cobbles and boulders encountered averaged 40,000psi and
tended to shatter carbide tips on teeth. The cutterhead wasnt fitted for disc cutters and
even if it had been in most instances the cobbles and boulders werent cemented firmly
enough for discs to be effective. Esco or backhoe teeth worked well until they began to
break usually after less than about 200'. Ripper teeth also worked but experienced
high wear rates. While a combination of Esco and ripper teeth were acceptable for the
loosely cemented gravels and cobbles they tended to stall the head in the dense, firmly

TUNNELING THROUGH COBBLES IN SACRAMENTO

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Figure 2. 120-inch Lovat TBM head configuration prior to tunneling. Doors, found unnecessary and
damaged, were removed after 150 feet of tunneling.
cemented Merhten formation. Carbide tipped bullet teeth were the most effective at
cutting the Merhten but were easily shattered in the presence of cobbles and boulders.
Ground Support
The use of wood shoring in the tunnel was forbidden by the specifications. One of
the primary reasons were special orders received from CalOSHA on another project,
the Bradshaw Interceptor in Sacramento California for the same owner. The result was
that Bradshaw project had to install additional fire protection measures during the
course of the work, which represented an additional cost. That project and the special
orders are covered in detail in Chapter 46 of the 1999 RETC proceedings Bradshaw
Interceptor Section 5A.
Ribs and steel lagging were selected over the other option of two pass concrete
segments. American Commercial supplied both ribs and lagging. W4x13 steel ribs
were placed on five-foot centers and 3" x 6" steel channel lagging were placed in the
flanges of the rib with legs pointing into the tunnel. Lagging was placed for the full 360
degrees and a steel plate filled the expansion joint. Refer to Figure 3. Despite initial
complaints the miners were quite successful with this system. Especially after a glove
was found that let the miners grip the damp, often oily steel but resisted cuts from the
sharp edges. In fact after the first few weeks miners were standing a full set in less
than ten minutes. Tunnel production rates in most instances were not hampered by the
use of steel lagging. The notable exceptions being curves and alignment changes
where adjustments in line are far easier with wood lagging.
Ground Modification
The Contract called for the Contractor to perform ground modification in two parts.
The first was a demonstration program in the State Park area. The second was

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2001 RETC PROCEEDINGS

Figure 3. It took four miners to install the steel ribs and steel lagging to form the initial support
production grouting beneath the two on/off ramps and the main corridor of US 50. The
demonstration section allowed the contractor to prove the effectiveness of the
submitted grouting methods. Affholder proposed compaction and compensation
grouting. Pretreatment methods such as chemical grouting werent proposed since
good natural standup and arching characteristics were evident in the adjacent open
cut contract.
Demonstration holes were drilled along the alignment both vertically and
diagonally since in the production grouting areas vertical access over the tunnel
alignment was limited. These holes were drilled to five feet over the tunnel on 5 foot
and 8 foot centers with steel casings installed at the compaction grout hole and sleeveport-pipe in some of the compensation gout holes. Compaction grouting was
attempted at 300 to 500 PSI after the TBM had passed. Six holes were pumped on
and there was no grout take. This was not surprising since the observed ground
behavior indicated there was no loosening of ground beyond that excavated.
Compensation grouting involved pumping a wet water-cement mix (pancake
batter consistency) at low pressures of approximately 3 PSI over the initial support just
past the TBM tail shield. Grout takes were minimal on all holes but one. On this hole 2
inches of movement five feet over the tunnel was measured approximately 10 feet past
the TBM tail shield. Grout take was 1/3 of a yard.
Based on both ground observations and data from the demonstration section,
Affholder chose compensation grouting as the grout method for the production areas.
In order to minimize disturbance of the ground over the tunnel and disruption to traffic,
a decision was made to be on stand-by with drill and equipment but grout only if the
action levels set forth in the specifications were reached. Also, Affholder proposed to
first attempt grouting, if necessary, from within the tunnel. The catalyst to grout would
be based on the ground movement data collect and the well-established limits set forth
in the specifications.

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Tunneling Progress
The State park tunnel gave Affholder a chance to fine tune operation of the TBM
for settlement control prior to mining under U.S. 50. The only settlement measured in
this drive was at the first set of extensometers encountered. The ground response
curves generated by the CM team showed settlement was occurring soon after the tail
shield passed. This indicated that the shoring wasnt being expanded fully or rapidly
enough. Increased pressure when expanding the set and expansion as soon as the rib
left the tail shield provided easy solutions. At this point the TBM wasnt creating a void
so there was little the ground modification program could improve on. The TBMs best
production rates were achieved on this drive. Refer to Figure 4 for production rates and
actual versus scheduled progress.
Tunneling under U.S. 50 produced some surprises but all were dealt with quickly
and effectively thanks to the experience gained on the first drive. As the TBM
approached US 50 the Merhten formation rose from the invert of the tunnel to over
springline. This unpredicted condition resulted in slowed progress and excessive tooth
wear. Two extensometers with tips located 5 feet over the tunnel beneath U.S. 50
dropped 2 plus feet. Muck volumes indicated over-excavation and visual observations
from the TBM head behind and over the TBM also confirmed the extensometer
readings were accurate. A void over the TBM and the support system behind the TBM
existed. Compensation grouting was completed immediately from within the tunnel but
trailing gear made it difficult and not very effective. Because the ground showed good
signs of bulking and arching, and the extensometers located 10 feet over the tunnel
never moved more than 12-inch, tunneling continued far enough to allow better access
for grouting from within the tunnel. In the mean time compensation grout was pumped
into the two extensometers that showed the movement. No additional holes were
drilled from the surface for grouting. Once the TBM advanced far enough from beneath
the median a second phase of grouting was attempted from within the tunnel. A jackleg drill was used to drill five to eight feet over the tunnel in the areas under US 50
where voids were expected. Voids were obvious when the drill lunged forward. Where
voids were detected compensation grout was pumped. Overall a total of 25 cubic
yards of grout were pumped to fill the voids. The grout takes in this area correlated well
with the additional muck volumes estimated by the tunnel inspectors.
The cause of this void can be associated with the fact that the Merhten Formation
encountered in this area rose to nearly a full face with a layer of looser sand, cobbles
and boulders over the Merhten. The TBM working on the Merhten ended up overexcavating the looser material above. Vibrations from the TBM cutting on the Merhten
may have contributed to the loosening of the alluvial deposit above.
Beneath the eastbound US 50 ramp where cover over the crown was less than
4 feet the TBM operator was amazed to find he could advance the TBM without
removing any muck. This second surprise, though predicted by the GBR, was the
Chinese diggins tunnels. These unshored tunnels were constructed years earlier
by Chinese laborers for drainage and gold mining. Fortunately the invert of the
TBM tunnel and the old tunnel were almost the same so grade control was not a
problem. The TBM mined through the opening and a few dry rotted timbers without
incident. After the state archeologist determined there was no historic value to the
tunnel it was filled during the pipe backfilling operation.
Except for the areas already mentioned no settlement was measured on this
drive. Instruments closer to the surface 10 and 15 feet over the tunnel and ground
surface points never moved even in areas where cover was less than five feet. The

916

Access Shaft & Tail

Tunnel

State Park Tunnel

US 50 Tunnel

Remob.

600

3000

500

2500

400
Scheduled

1500

300

1000

200

500

100

0
6/18/99

7/2/99

7/16/99

7/30/99

8/13/99

8/27/99

9/10/99

Week Ending (Friday)

Figure 4. Tunneling progress and production rates

9/24/99

0
10/8/99 10/22/99 11/5/99

Weekly Progress (feet)

Weekly

2000

2001 RETC PROCEEDINGS

Cumulative Progress (feet)

Actual

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Figure 5. Pipe carrier being prepared for use on the surface

TBM was clearly capable of controlling the ground (at least ground as described by the
GBR). The nearly full face of Mehrten clearly posed problems of ground control as
shown by the movement measured at depth. However, the grouting program proven in
the demonstration section dealt with this area smoothly.
Pipe Installation and Backfill
Hanson Concrete Pipe and Products in Sacramento manufactured the 66"
reinforced concrete pipe final liner for the project locally. The pipe specified was Class V
with Ameron T-Lock cast into the upper 270 degrees of the pipe. Since the tunnel was
mined with an oversized TBM the substantial annular space allowed a bell and spicket
pipe to be used as opposed to the flush bell and spicket pipe more commonly seen in
tunnel applications. A rail mounted pipe carrier designed and manufactured by
Affholder (Figure 5) transported and set the 20' joints of pipe in the tunnel. Pipes were
held in place with hardwood blocks positioned to maintain grade and prevent flotation.
Pipe installation began after tunneling was complete and completed within three weeks.
After the pipe was placed and the manholes completed Pacific International Grout
Company backfilled the annular space with low-density cellular concrete (LLDC). The
concrete which was mixed on site had an in place density of 45 lb/cu ft and a design
strength of 500 psi in 28 days. LDCC placement progressed rapidly with the on site
batch plant able to produce 100cy of concrete per hour. Holes drilled after placement
showed complete filling of the annular space between the pipe and the lagging. Grout
that migrated to surface on occasion also indicated that any voids outside the lagging
would have been filled as well.

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CONCLUSIONS
The project was completed with no impacts to third parties, on schedule and with
only a one percent increase in cost from change orders. The projects success can, in
large part, be attributed to the correct configuration and operation of the selected TBM.
Additionally, timely communication of tunneling progress with the California
Department of Transportations (CalTrans) knowledgeable geotechnical staff proved to
be an aid in completing the projected without any administrative type delays.
REFERENCES
Black & Veatch Construction, Inc., and Haley & Aldrich, Inc., November 1998, Folsom
East Interceptor Section 2, Geotechnical Baseline Report for the U.S. 50 and
State Park Tunnels.
Black & Veatch Construction, Inc., and Bennet and Stehli Engineers, Inc., 1998,
Construction Methods Proving Project.
Underground Construction Managers, Inc. and EPC Consultants, Inc., January 15,
2000, Folsom Interceptor Section 2B, Contract No. 3322A, Construction Report.