The Limerick Tunnel project commenced in July 2010 and comprises approximately 10Km of dual and single carriageway road and a tunnel crossing of the River Shannon in Limerick. The project also has an extensive ITS system and state of the art tunnel control and response systems which require 24/7 manned management. Lagan Operations & Maintenance Limited undertakes the routine & cyclical maintenance of the road and the tunnel including the 24/7 management of the tunnel, the mechanical, electrical, ITS, SCADA systems as well as the road based activities.
The maintenance of the tunnel is vital to users safety and a number systems in the tunnel are considered life critical in the event of a fire or an RTA in the tunnel and as such Lagan Operations & Maintenance is responsible for ensuring these systems are online at all times when the tunnel is operational.
The tunnel maintenance involves the road based activities noted as for our project in Fermoy together with the following specific maintenance activities:
- MV/LV Panels and infrastructure maintenance
- UPS systems
- Standby generator systems
- Linear Heat Detector
- Smoke Detectors
- Tunnel Ventilation fans and system
- Tunnel Lighting
- Tunnel signage and variable message board display systems
- SCADA
- Incident Detection systems
- CCTV
- Radio Rebroadcast systems
- Ghost Driver detections systems
- Tunnel PA systems
- Cross bore escape doors
- Fire hydrant and extinguishers
- Tunnel drainage systems including pumps and sump management.
- Local and Master PLC’s
- Normal and Standby Control room maintenance
These activities also require Lagan Operations & Maintenance Limited to implement quarterly tunnel closures comprising single bore closures on alternate nights utilising a contra flow system through the tunnel.
The Operation & Maintenance of the tunnel also required Lagan to develop specific emergency procedures in full liaison with the local emergency services and the statutory bodies overseeing the operation of tunnels in accordance with European legislation and regulations.