HNTB Names Heiner Sander as Tunnel Practice Leader for East

Heiner Sander has joined HNTB Corp. as vice president and tunnel practice leader, east. He is based in the firm’s Arlington, Va., office and provides tunnel project management, design and construction management. Previously, Sander led business development, management and operation of an international tunneling firm in the United States.

Sander has more than 30 years of experience in project management, design and construction management of tunneling and underground engineering projects under design-bid-build and design-build delivery methods.

His work includes design, project management and construction supervision of large tunnel and underground projects throughout the world. His extensive background in tunnel boring machine and New Austrian Tunneling Method will support the firm’s tunneling team and add additional experience to these valuable practices. Sander also brings experience with ground support, geotechnical, instrumentation and monitoring, and protection of existing structures.

“Heiner’s global experience and technical skills are a great addition as we continue growing HNTB’s tunneling practice nationally and internationally,” said Nasri Munfah, HNTB chair tunnel services. “His significant working knowledge of large-scale programs will be invaluable to our clients, who look to HNTB when it comes to the most complex and challenging tunnel projects, such as the Devil’s Slide and the SR 99 Alaskan Way Tunnel in Seattle.”

Sander’s experience includes many notable projects, such as the English Channel tunnel between Britain and France, State Route 710 Gap Closure Tunnel in Los Angeles and the Tom Lantos Tunnels at Devil’s Slide near San Francisco, where he was lead design engineer of the sequential excavation and the initial support system. Internationally, he has worked in many locations, including Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Turkey, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Denmark.

He graduated from Austria’s Höhere Technische Bundes with a graduate degree in civil engineering. He’s a member of several national associations, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers and American Society of Mining Engineers.