BART awards retrofitting study for Berkeley Hills Tunnel
11 January 2013A feasibility study contract to evaluate various alternatives to retrofit the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Berkeley Hills Tunnel so that train service can be re-established quickly following an earthquake event on the Hayward fault was awarded to Jacobs Associates, the company announced last week.
The 3.2 mile (5.1km) long twin tunnels pass through the Berkeley Hills east of Berkeley and Oakland and cross through the active Hayward fault zone - estimated to extend over a 980ft (299m) length of the tunnels approximately 1,000ft (300m) from the west portal.
Jacobs Associates said the study will compare the cost benefits of different approaches for retrofitting the tunnels, including the 'do nothing' alternative. It will also include development of design concepts and cost estimates, and schedules for implementing the concepts for retrofitting the tunnels. In addition, for each approach, the study will evaluate the cost and schedule for repairing the tunnel and restoring train service in the event of different levels of fault offset.
A cost benefit analysis will then be performed to determine which of the alternatives would provide the most benefit to BART. The cost benefit analysis will include an evaluation of the overall economic impact on the San Francisco Bay Area for the loss of train service for the estimated duration of repair.
