Brais to Discuss Port of Miami Tunnel at Tunnel Short Course

When the Port of Miami Tunnel opened for traffic on Aug. 3, it marked the successful completion of a challenging project that has been envisioned for more than 30 years to help improve traffic congestion and improve the quality of life in one of the United States’ most vibrant cities.

The project was also a milestone in terms of U.S. tunnel construction, marking one of the first uses of public-private partnerships in this country for a large-scale tunnel project, as well as the largest soft-ground TBM used to date in the United States. The complex project faced environment, logistical and geologic challenges that were successfully navigated by the project team.

As a result of the successful completion, the project earned the 2014 Tunnel Achievement Award, which will be presented Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014, as part of the Colorado School of Mines’ seventh annual Tunnel Short Course. The award will be presented at the banquet, which will be held at the Golden Hotel beginning at 7 p.m.

Louis Brais, project manager for Bouygues Civil Works, the design-build contractor, will accept the award and give a presentation about the project. You can read more about the project here: https://tunnelingonline.com/tunnel-achievement-award-port-miami-tunnel/

The Tunnel Short Course attracts upward of 150 people for an intensive three-day course covering tunneling from planning and design, through construction and project management. Presentations are given by leading international experts in the field in the academic setting of the Colorado School of Mines, a leading international institution in the field of underground construction.

The course runs from Sept. 15-17. Course directors are Dr. Levent Ozdemir, PE., President, Ozdemir Engineering Inc. and Retired Professor, Colorado School of Mines; and Timothy Coss, President, Microtunneling, Inc. For the full agenda or to register, visit http://csmspace.com/events/tunneling.