Construction of the Desvio do Rio Joana Tunnel solves decades-long Flood Problem in Rio de Janeiro

Since the beginning of the 20th century, many districts in Rio de Janeiro have been regularly affected by flooding caused by land reclamation and river regulations. The first plans for a water diversion tunnel intended to divert excessive water inflow from the Juana River into the Guanabara Bay date back to the 1970s.

In time for the FIFA World Cup, construction work has begun on a new sewer system that will divert a third of the Joana River’s water. The Desvio do Rio Joana water diversion system includes five shafts for the purpose of water collection and levelling of the water outflow, a 2.5km long tunnel and an open canal gallery (cut-and-cover section) close to Guanabara Bay.

The main challenge during this project is tunneling beneath a main railway line close to Maracanã stadium. In this critical area, the default single tube tunnel system is divided into two smaller tunnels to minimize the impact of tunnel driving on the surface and particularly on railway infrastructure. An intense monitoring and surveying of surface settlement is conducted in this critical area to ensure a safe and efficient construction cycle.

In addition to the difficult task of having to re-arrange the existing underground cable and pipe infrastructure while maintaining the lines in service, the construction company was confronted with a strict construction time limit of only 720 days for completing the tunnel.

DSI Underground Brasil provided a variety of ground support products such as rebar rock bolts and resin cartridges as well as technical support on site for this important infrastructure project.