Using various geotechnical techniques for challenging conditions at the West Link project

The city of Gothenburg in western Sweden is currently experiencing the construction of one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the country – The West Link (Västlänken). The West Link is an 8 km double-track railway project, of which 6 km will be through underground tunnels with two new stations, Haga and Korsvägen, and construction of a bigger Central station. The construction of the project began in May 2018 and the finalization is expected in 2026. The project is split into five different sections which were awarded and are being executed individually. The widely varied geological profile of the area consisting of weak-to-very weak clay and silty-sandy-gravelly moraine along with challenging local conditions like existing waterways, traffic routes, and buildings requires a range of soil improvements and shoring system solutions suiting the local conditions. Some techniques executed by Keller include dry deep soil mixing (DDSM) to stabilize the quick clay to facilitate excavation, jet grouting for water sealing, excavation support in addition to soil improvement purposes, uplift piles over a flowing river, drilled steel piles at the bottom of excavation pit as foundation support, drilled steel pile wall, and sheet piling. Apart from technical challenges, the West Link has strong focus on adopting sustainable solutions like methods to reduce disposal of wet masses from jet grouting. A team of experts of design and execution from different parts of the world is working together to make it a success story. © 2023 Ernst & Sohn GmbH.