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FCC completes work on the
underwater structure
of the
Coatzacoalcos tunnel in Mexico
FCC completed the underwater works of
the submerged Coatzacoalcos tunnel in
the Mexican state of Veracruz. This implies
the definitive connection of the city of
Coatzacoalcos, Mexico’s main industrial
harbour, with Allende, home of the country’s
most important oil and petrochemical
facilities.
The authorities, headed by Tomás Ruiz
Gonzalez, Secretary of Infrastructures
and Public Works (SIOP), Javier Duarte
de Ochoa, the governor of the state of
Veracruz, and Joaquín Caballero, the town’s
president, jointly with Enrique Díaz Valdés,
country manager and the top FCC executive
in Mexico, and Fausto González, managing
director of Túnel de Coatzacoalcos de FCC
Concesiones, toured the tunnel by foot
during the inauguration ceremony.
The completion involved the last meter and
a half of tunnel that was still pending of the
submerged structure connecting the two
banks of the Coatzacoalcos River. It is the
first infrastructure of its kind in Latin America.
This infrastructure will reduce the time it takes
to cross the river from 50 to 5 minutes and
will enable navigation to the Coatzacoalcos
and Pemex harbours. It will also contribute
to the industrial development of the river
basin.
Technological innovation and expertise
The Coatzacoalcos tunnel represents a technological innovation in the construction
industry since it was possible to build in a dry dock adjacent to the river, the reinforced
concrete sections, prepare them for their floating, towing, and placement on the river
bed without having to use special machinery for drilling in the subsoil.
The concession contract, worth 156 million euros, was awarded in 2004 to a
consortium comprising FCC and CAABSA which would be in charge of the project,
construction, and would have a 30-year operations concession. The construction firm
is an FCC Construcción Infraestructura y Filiales de México and OPC joint venture.
The FCC team, which has been operating in Mexico since 1994 and has broad
experience, has executed major civil works projects that have contributed to
improving communications and transport infrastructures in the country such as the
Durango-Mazatlán highway across the states of Durango and Sinaloa, the Necaxa-
Ávila Camacho motorway which includes the construction of the Ingeniero Gilberto
Borja Navarrete, viaduct in Xicotepec (Puebla), between the municipalities of Nuevo
Necaxa and Villa Ávila Camacho.
The project includes the execution of the
1,144 metre-long tunnel of which 696
metres are underwater. A transversal 25.1
x 9.6 section consists of two lanes in each
direction separated by an emergency gallery
and electromechanical facilities for the
corresponding control, management and
safety systems.
