Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan
1993-1995
The underwater portion of the Detroit River Car Tunnel, constructed in 1930, continually experienced water infiltration problems, causing extensive concrete and pavement deterioration. The multi-year restoration program, resulting in the near elimination of the infiltration, entailed multiple phases:
- Bulkhead grouting of joints between the sunken tunnel sections, to cut off the seepage paths between the steel liner and concrete and effectively dry such sections.
- Acrylamide grout injection to fill elaborate void systems between the steel liner and the concrete in the tunneled section.
- Crack injection with flexible, hydrophobic polyurethane grouts in the land sections of the tunnel.
- Installation of a seepage interception system, via stimulation holes and insulated drains, to properly channel and collect residual seepage.
Tunnel operations were not disrupted by the grouting operation; cars continued to use the tunnel throughout the project.
ECO was involved in the design, implementation, and supervision of the grouting program as a sub-consultant in cooperation with M.M. Dillon.