Integrated Rescue Galleries – an alternative Safety Concept for Road Tunnels

摘要

According to the safety requirements of the EC-Directive on "minimum safety requirements forrntunnels in the Trans European Road Network" (2004/54/EC) [1], implemented into national law inrnGermany by the “Guideline for Equipment and Operation of Road Tunnels (RABT)” [2], additionalrnsafety measures become mandatory in case of two-way traffic tunnels. Frequently these additionalrnmeasures demand parallel rescue tunnels, which have to be carried out in addition to the originalrntraffic tunnel. Another possibility, which is currently neither suggested by German guidelines orrnregulations nor by other international recommendations, could be the excavation of bigger crosssectionsrnwith an additional and integrated rescue gallery inside the traffic tunnel.rnInvestigations of the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) have shown that integrated rescuerngalleries inside the traffic tunnel could be a cost-effective solution compared with the standardrnsolution with a separate, parallel rescue tunnel. In additional investigations, constructional andrnoperational details for a typical tunnel cross section with integrated rescue gallery were examinedrnand evaluated. A cost comparison with the standard solution was carried out, too. Theserninvestigations were carried out by an expert group, consisting of a tunnelling consultant firm, arnventilation consultant and a university institute. The project was funded by the German FederalrnMinistry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS) and managed by the BASt. Thernfirst practical application of the new solution with integrated rescue gallery at a German road tunnelrnis planned for 2011.rnThis paper shows the different concepts of possible solutions for integrated rescue galleries andrnfocuses on constructional aspects and operational safety aspects of the new solution with integratedrnrescue galleries.