The constructionhunnelling industry in Hong Kong has taken an upturn
during the last few years due to the commencement of works to relocate
the International Airport to Chek Lap Kok Island. The Airport Core Program consists of ten individual projects including
roads, landfill, bridges and tunnels to build the airport and link it to the
mainland of Hong Kong. Part of one of these projects is Cheung Ching
Tunnel located on Tsing Yi Island. The proposed tunnel consists of a
1.6 km twin tube road tunnel through the island's central ridge, taking
three lanes of traffic each way. Each tunnel is 16 m wide - (the widest
road tunnel in Hong Kong) and are 10 m high. ICI Explosives (China) saw an opportunity to supply bulk explosives to
the Cheung Ching tunnel and contacted ICI Australia to determine
availability of a bulk system for tunnel blasting, and assist in its
introduction. This paper discusses the methodology behind developing that bulk
system to suit a large tunnel drill and blast operation. It also looks at the
problems encountered along the way, from the development of the
product to the application of the system in the tunnel and the eventual
success of introducing a bulk system into a large tunnelling project.