RETC 2025, which will take place in Dallas, Texas, from June 8 to 11, is an underground and tunneling construction event where US companies will be able to showcase their advances in the sector. These include trends, processes, and new technologies that directly affect surveying solutions and tunneling constructions.

Alava International will showcase its surveying solutions and modeling services for underground constructions at the event. It will also provide information on its participation in the largest highway construction project in Virginia’s history.

Instrumentation and monitoring solutions for tunnels and structures

One of the main areas of RETC 2025 will be, as mentioned above, dedicated to instrumentation and monitoring solutions for tunnels and related structures (as shafts, portals, TBMs and thrust frames, among others) in the USA. Alava International has extensive experience in the monitoring of this type of infrastructures. Not only in terms of equipment, materials and techniques, but also in terms of control of the entire process.

This is because the surveillance and monitoring of construction projects, and especially those dedicated to the building of tunnels and structures, is becoming increasingly important. The same is true of the technologies that enable their constant evolution and optimization.

To help underground construction companies to achieve its objectives, we provide, besides licensed professional engineers, all kind of monitoring technologies and services for tunneling constructions: from the supply and installation and maintenance of systems, to the I&M (Inspection and maintenance) plan development and impact assessments (CIAR), as well as follow up reports generation and data interpretation.

Thanks to these technologies, for example, it is possible to constantly monitor the work carried out to make a tunnel project a reality. This is the only way to avoid any problems caused by unexpected changes in the terrain where construction is taking place. By monitoring the entire process, it is possible to carry out underground and tunneling construction work with safety and reliability.

Surveying and modeling services for underground construction

Surveying and modeling services are crucial in all phases of any underground construction and infrastructure development project. This is especially true for large-scale projects, such as those that will be seen in RETC 2025. From the project planning process to the end of construction, including the entire design. It is also necessary to bear in mind that technology has become an essential ally in optimizing all phases of this type of project. Techniques offered by Alava International, such as LiDAR scanning and BIM Modelling, apart from manual monitoring and As-built reports, surveyed through a technical office, are crucial to this end.

With all this in mind, Alava International offers topographic surveys for civil engineering projects with the support of the latest technology in all phases of the project. Whether in the initial inspection of the terrain and the densification and expansion of the network of control points, or in the design of the 3D control system for the works. Also, in the initial layout and topographic survey of boundaries and elements, as well as in the calculation and supervision of earthworks.

As, for example, a project tunnel progresses, it is necessary to move from exclusively controlling the terrain, and its behavior and composition, to monitoring the structural elements of each of its phases: pillars, foundations, columns, supports, panels, etc. This requires the design of high-precision, tailor-made structures with systems that allow large volumes of data to be obtained. By processing this data, it will be possible to detect, among other things, any variation in the set control values. In this way, decisions can be made regarding the construction process or the work with the terrain to avoid failures.

Virginia’s largest highway construction project of Alava International

During its participation in RETC 2025, Alava International will offer details to professionals and companies in the tunneling and underground construction sector, and especially to those interested in surveying solutions (such as the design of a tunnel project) details about one of its success stories in the United States: its participation in the Hampton Roads Bridge & Tunnel Expansion in Hampton, Virginia.

This is the largest high-capacity road construction project in Virginia’s history and is currently considered one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country. Right now under construction, it is scheduled for completion in November 2025, and will extend the I-64 corridor in Norfolk and Hampton, currently with four lanes, along ten miles. To this end, new twin tunnels are being built along the port.

The expansion will increase road capacity, reduce congestion, and improve travel time reliability. The project is being carried out by the joint venture HCRP (Hampton Roads Connector Partners), created by Vinci Construction Grands Projects, Dragados, Flatiron, and Dodin Campenon Bernard. Alava International’s role in the project is related to Instrumentation and Monitoring Engineering.

The company is so responsible for supervising the entire project in terms of instrumentation. To this end, it is participating in both the instrumentation plan and the development of the monitoring action plan. This plan is responsible for all data analysis activities, as well as the necessary measures to ensure that the impact of the construction work is kept to a minimum. It is, therefore, a job that acts as a bridge between civil and industrial engineering, and also between traditional infrastructure construction and the future of the tunneling and underground construction sector.

RETC 2025: read about our solutions in tunnels and topography

Whether you would like more information on how Alava International designed and deployed the control and monitoring systems for the Hampton Roads Bridge & Tunnel Expansion project, or if you need further details on our solutions in instrumentation and monitoring services for tunneling, as well as in topography, you will find us at stand 1510 at RETC 2025. There you can talk to our experts who will answer all your questions and provide you with all the information you need.

Until then, you can find more information about our solutions in instrumentation and monitoring services for tunneling on the Alava International website. We look forward to seeing you at RETC 2025!