Adif continues to work to accelerate the work of expanding the lower pass under the railway of Nicolás Soria Street, in Oviedo. Technicians of the public entity have explained today the degree of progress of the work, in a meeting in which representatives of the Federation of Platforms and Associations of Asturias and the delegate of the Government in Asturias, Delia Losa, have participated.
The action consists of the doubling of the current lower pass, extending the number of circulation lanes for road traffic to five. The works present a remarkable complexity, since they are developed by making them compatible with the continuity of railway and circulatory traffic.
Work progress
Since the resumption of the work, in August 2022, intense and uninterrupted work has been done on the modification of the electrification and signalling installations in the thrust area; the completion of the containment systems of the excavation enclosure; and the execution of the safety apeo system of the existing structure.
The initial forecasts contemplated the completion of the push under the drawer tracks, which will form the main structure of the passage, in May. In recent weeks, work has been done on fracturing injections, which have extended their initial scope in view of the large admissions that are being recorded, much greater than the usual ones in this type of well-established land.
All these tasks, with the exception of the existing system of aping of structure, have been developed uninterrupted at night time to minimize the affectation to the railway operation, registering relevant advances.
This progress has made it possible to begin the excavation of the thrust enclosure, once the containment screens have been completed, and it is possible to foresee the start of the construction of the drawer in March, to then proceed to the apping of the tracks and the start of the thrust of the structure.
To this extension of the injection work must be added the difficulties that have occurred in the supply of construction materials, motivated by the remaining tensions in the markets of raw materials.
Pushed drawer
The extension of the lower passage is done by means of a reinforced concrete frame, which will be placed in its final position by means of the technique of the ‘pushed drawer’.
The technical solutions have been designed with the aim of minimizing the impact on traffic and structure, being compatible with the maintenance of the railway service. The main tasks of this action are:
- Prefabrication of the drawer, in two modules of equal length.
- Push the drawer to its final position under the beach of roads. Initially the first module will be pushed. The second module will then be moved to the front of attack position and the two modules will be pushed to their final position. It also includes the replacement of affected cabling and railway installations, the removal of the catenary gantry and the placement of a temporary gantry and semi-gantry outside the affliction zone. Likewise, the execution of the elements of the railway platform and the batting, levelling and dynamic stabilization of the tracks will be carried out to leave them in the same conditions as before the works begin.
- Urbanization of the area of affection. Once the civil works have been completed, the crossing of Avenida Santander, c/ General Elorza and c/ Pepe Cosmen will be adapted, as well as the road under the lower pass, recreating the current sidewalk and adapting the drainage and installation of lighting, traffic lights and other urban elements.