Saturday, August 27, 2016

Can't keep lights in tunnel-planning to make 10KM tunnel!!

Image for the news result
For more than a week, the lights and ventilation equipment inside the twin tunnels in ... No lights inside Eastern Freeway Tunnel for almost a week. Pic/Shadab Khan
No lights inside Eastern Freeway Tunnel for almost a week. Pic/Shadab Khan
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According to commuters, streetlights before the 580m long tunnel begins from the Wadala-end are also not functioning, making the entire stretch prone to accidents.
Navi Mumbai resident Sahil Shah, who regularly takes the freeway to work, said, “I travel very late in the night after work and it becomes very risky to navigate the freeway because none of the lights on that stretch have been working for at least the past seven days. It’s pitch dark inside and even the ventilation system doesn’t seem to be working, as it’s really stuffy inside the tunnel. The problem is that even driving slow inside a tunnel is dangerous, but it’s so dark one needs to tread carefully.”
The blame game
On being contacted, MMRDA, however, said the BMC is responsible for fixing lights on the freeway. MMRDA joint project director Dilip Kawatkar said, “We have handed over the entire eastern freeway project to the BMC, but even if it under the Defect Liability Period, it is BMC’s duty to follow-up with the contractor.”
Speaking to mid-day on condition of anonymity, a senior civic official from the BMC said, “Yes, there are some technical issues with the lights on the eastern freeway. The civic body has requested the service providers (Reliance Energy) to get the problem fixed at the earliest.”
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Feb 6, 2015 - The idea is to have a 14-lane connectivity that will include six lanes ... The proposal had languished for the past four years for want of ... the underground tunnel for the bypass road will have to be built 180 metres below the Lonavla lake. ... Traffic on NH4 hits the Mumbai Pune expressway from the Khopoli ...

Image result for FIRE IN TUNNEL EUROPECase Studies: Historical Fires: Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire, Italy/France
www.mace.manchester.ac.uk
The roadway slab and the ducts beneath are reinforced concrete structures. However, the 0.5 m thick tunnel lining was pure concrete without reinforcement.Image result for FIRE IN TUNNEL EUROPECase Studies: Historical Fires: Channel Tunnel Fire, France/UK;
www.mace.manchester.ac.uk
Channel Tunnel Fire, France/UKImage result for AIR CIRCULATION  IN SWISS TUNNELImage result for AIR CIRCULATION  IN LONG ROAD  TUNNEL

Image result for FIRE IN TUNNEL EUROPEFire Safety Design Considerations of Road Tunnels



Posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2014
Fire crew after Brynglas tunnel fire Pic: South Wales Fire Service
Photo credit: http://www.bbc.co.uk
We recently published a guest post about emergency evacuations from our colleagues at Graphic Packaging that mentioned the Mont Blanc tragic tunnel fire. Shortly after we published the blog, I had the opportunity to attend an SFPE webinar that focused on the fire protection design considerations of road tunnels, and I thought I would share a few highlights.
The webinar was presented by David Barber, Global Fire Engineering Leader, with Arup in the Australian Region. Mr. Barber began the webinar by stressing that fire safety is often a complex problem in tunnels and that the goals of fire safety design are twofold:
  • Prevention of fires from occurring in the first place; and
  • Prevention of fires that do occur from escalating to a major event
From 1995 to 2006, over 300 lives have been lost in tunnel fires. In addition to the Mont Blanc fire, where 39 lives were lost, here are a few other fatal tunnel fires that occurred between the years of 1995 and 2006:
Year
Tunnel
Casualties
1996 Isola delle Femmine (Italy) 5 fatalities; 20 injured
1999 Tauren (Austria) 12 fatalities; 40 injured
2001 Gleinalm (Austria) 5 fatalities; 4 injured
2001 St. Gotthard (Switzerland) 11 fatalities
2006 Viamala Tunnel (Switzerland) 9 fatalities; 6 injured
These unfortunate accidents resulted in fundamental changes in tunnel design and have allowed fire protection engineers to play a more significant role in the entire design process. By incorporating a greater use of performance-based design solutions and risk-based analysis, fire protection engineers can help achieve tunnel design goals that often include the reduction in the likelihood of accidents and fires, the reduction of evacuation time, provisions for firefighter and emergency medical services (EMS) intervention, and provisions for business continuity.

What Factors Should Be Considered in the Fire Protection Design of Road Tunnels

When designing fire protection solutions for road tunnels, Mr. Barber suggests asking the following questions:
  • What are the life safety goals and other objectives?
  • Which code(s) provides the framework?
  • Can a risk-based approach be used?
  • What is the acceptable level of safety performance?
  • How will the design be proven safe?
In addition, fire protection design for tunnels should not only focus on the prevention of fires, but also on the evacuation of occupants. Self-evacuation of occupants is critical for life safety. Designs must include a robust solution for self-evacuation that can include: spacing between exit doors; emergency lane width; auto detection systems; alerting through overhead signage, texts, and/or radio; directional distance signs to exits; clear exit signs; lighting; help points; emergency phones; smoke control; and suppression systems.
Smoke hazard management and smoke control systems play a huge role in offering tenable conditions for occupants to evacuate safely by providing positive airflow that limits the spread of smoke and allows for the extraction of smoke and heat. Tools like Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models can be used during the design phase to better understand options for ventilation control and smoke hazard management, as well as to better determine critical velocity.

What about Fire Suppression Systems in Road Tunnels?

While fire suppression systems have been undoubtedly effective and efficient in the built environment, there are concerns when it comes to their use in road tunnels. According to Andreas Haggkvist in an article in Fire Protection Engineering, those concerns include: hindering the evacuation of occupants by the generation of steam that may cause injuries; difficulty in suppressing a fire that starts in an engine; and the potential for petroleum fires to continue to produce combustible gases after being extinguished that can create an explosive environment.
Despite these concerns, newer approaches to fire protection design are taking advantage of the use of suppression systems to protect the structural performance of road tunnels. Mr. Barber sited the Burnley Tunnel fire in 2007, where the deluge system activated instantly; helping firefighters to keep the fire under control and minimize structural damage, which allowed for the tunnel to reopen four days after the fire.

The Road to the Future

While road tunnel design has improved and evolved throughout the years, fire protection engineers still have a lot of work to do. Mr. Barber concluded that further testing is needed, including large scale testing, in regards to suppression systems, structural protection, occupant egress, and communication and control methodologies, and the influence of these factors on design strategies.
By Jeff Harrington, CEO and Founder of Harrington Group, Inc.
 Image result for FIRE IN TUNNEL EUROPE

news.bbc.co.uk
World: Europe Tunnel fire kills 30. Charred wreckage: All that remains of vehicles caught in the blaze
Image result for FIRE IN TUNNEL EUROPE
emseal.com
The Mont Blanc tunnel fire in Europe killed 39.
Image result for AIR CIRCULATION  IN SWISS TUNNELSaint-Gothard, le tunnel du siècle - Planete TP : tout sur les Travaux publics

Image result for AIR CIRCULATION  IN SWISS TUNNELSwitzerland: Exclusive journey of discovery Into the longest train ...
www.eturbonews.com
Switzerland: Exclusive journey of discovery Into the longest train tunnel in the world
Image result for AIR CIRCULATION  IN LONG ROAD  TUNNEL=================================================

Can't keep lights in tunnel-planning to make 10KM tunnel!!

 ================================================ VACILLATIONS OF BMC AND PLANNERS

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Coastal Road extension up to NH 8 gets govt nod.

Roundtable on the coastal road: Road to ruin? or progress for Mumbai?

  • HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
  • Updated: Sep 15, 2015 17:05 IST



Cities » Mumbai

Updated: February 24, 2016 07:55 IST

Coastal Road extension up to NH 8 gets govt nod



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The project, that had Kandivali as its proposed end point, now has approvalto be stretched up to Mira Road and beyond

he city’s Coastal Road project just got more ambitious. The government on Monday approved a significant extension to the 32-km Coastal Road project up to NH 8 connecting Mumbai to Ahmedabad.
The project that has Kandivali as its proposed end point now has approval to be stretched up to Mira Road and further on to NH 8.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2015/9/1509mumbai2.jpgImage result for MUMBAI Coastal Road KANDIVLI to MIRA ROAD

Hussain Indorewala, urban planner and assistant professor with Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture said, “We are spending crores of rupees on a project that will cater to only 2% or 3% of the population. We have well-established public transport, but we are moving away from it to promote personal transport.”


http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2015/9/1509mumbai3.jpg http://i.imgur.com/K8OfcGD.jpg?1


Another major decision taken was to extend the alignment of the 16.8-km Eastern Freeway by up to three km.
The alignments were approved on Monday by the Empowered Committee on Mumbai Transformation headed by Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshatriya, and officials of the MMRDA and the BMC.
Officials of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) gave a presentation on extending the Eastern Freeway, acknowledging it was feasible to extend the freeway from its current land point at Yellow Gate Junction on Carnac Bunder, beyond General Post Office (GPO) and ending on Mint Road.
The MMRDA was assigned the task of studying the feasibility of having an elevated rail corridor along with an elevated freeway, and find out if both could be accommodated over P D’mello Road. The authority in its report concluded that both projects were possible on the stretch provided land could be acquired from the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT).
Currently, the controlled-access highway connects Express Highway at Ghatkopar to P D’Mello Road in South Mumbai. “We have approved the MMRDA feasibility study and directed the MbPT to take up the proposal to extend freeway at its next board meeting. A presentation to the honourable Chief Minister, who heads the Urban Development Department, will be given next month for the final nod,” Mr Kshatriya told The Hindu .
“We feel that the advantage acquired by the commuters while travelling on the freeway is lost at the landing point and bottlenecks on Carnac Bunder Junction.”
A presentation on extending the proposed Coastal Road alignment was given by Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta, proposing to extend the project up to Mira Road and beyond towards NH 8.
The ambitious coastal road project is estimated to cost Rs 12,000 crore, and proposes to connect Nariman Point in South Mumbai to far north Malad and Kandivali. The BMC has proposed a 10-km underground tunnel at two locations starting from Nariman Point to Priyadarshani Park and from Juhu to Versova. The road will include 22 interchanges, entry and exit points, and lanes dedicated to the BRTS.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has already said development and extension of the integrated corridors in Mumbai is necessary by 2019, while obtaining clearance for the 22-km MTHL, which will connect Sewri in South Mumbai to Nhava in Navi Mumbai.
“The tenders for MTHL will be issued by March and the government wants to extend the proposed existing freeways. Eventually, all these have to be integrated for a long-term solution,” said a senior official.
We have approved the MMRDA feasibility study and directed the MbPT to take up the proposal to extend the freeway at its next board meeting
Swadheen Kshatriya
COMMENT:-
INSTEAD OF IT BECOMING MUMBAI COASTAL ROAD FOR CARS AND LIGHT VEHICLES ;
IT WILL BECOME A NEW EXTENSION OF NH8 FROM AHMADABAD TO MUMBAI WITH LOT OF TRUCKS AND COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC;THROUGH MIRA ROAD TO JUHU BEACH TO MUMBAI ISLAND CITY ;OR ALL COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC HAS TO BE BANNED,FROM MIRA ROAD TO JUHU BEACH ROAD 
WHEN MUMBAI Business ITSELF  IS SLOWLY MOVING NORTHWARDS  FROM ISLAND CITY TO BANDRA- ANDHERI- MALAD AREA,
IN ANOTHER 10 OR 20 YEARS THIS ROAD MAY NOT BE NEEDED BEYOND KANDIVLI   

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Image result for NH 8 FROM AHMEDABAD TO MIRA ROAD