The North American Tunneling (NAT) 2002 Conference and Exhibition, to be held 18–22 May 2002, promises to be an exciting and worthwhile event for the underground construction industry. Conference chairman Dick Robbins and the organising committee have constructed a comprehensive and very interesting programme consisting of four Short Courses on Saturday and Sunday 18-19 May as well as three tracks of sessions covering the following topics:
- Managing Underground Projects – Gary Brierley, Chair;
- Public Policy and Underground Facilities – Priscilla Nelson, Chair;
- Advances in Technology – Jack Brockway, Chair.
A 60-booth exhibition displaying the latest equipment, products and services for the underground construction industry has also been organised by AUA president George Yoggy. Within the exhibition there will also be informational displays by the King County Department of Environmental Protection, Sound Transit and the Seattle Fire Department’s special underground division.
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A technical tour is planned for Thursday, 23 May which will take participants behind the scenes at Mt. Baker Ridge Tunnel, the largest diameter soil tunnel ever constructed; a walk-through the newly holed-through Mercer Street CSO tunnel; and along the proposed alignment for the Sound Transit light rail line. There will be a full program for accompanying persons and several social events for conference delegates and their guests including an Icebreaker Reception, the Opening Reception in the Exhibition Hall, and the 2002 Awards Banquet.
Featured Speakers Announced
Two well-known members of the underground construction industry will be featured speakers at the conference. Opening the conference on Monday morning, 20 May, will be Douglas MacDonald, Secretary of Transportation for the State of Washington and former executive director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. The title of his address is “Welcome to Washington: Serious Tunnelling Here” in which he will explore the famous and infamous tunnels of Washington state, where, as he says, there would be no transportation infrastructure worth having if it weren’t for the underground industry.
The luncheon speaker on Monday, 20 May, will be Ed Plotkin PE, chair of the 2002 George A Fox New York Construction Conference. His address is entitled “New York, New York…It’s an Underground Town!” in which he will present a synopsis of the New York conference as well describe the effects and status of the 9/11 attack at the World Trade Centre as it relates to the underground industry.
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By GlobalDataFollowing the keynote address will be a presentation by the Presidents of the underground construction associations in Canada, Mexico and the United States describing the state of the industry in their respective countries. This will be followed by a presentation from the president of the International Tunnelling Association, André Assis, on the state of the underground industry worldwide.
Fire and Life Safety in Tunnels
Alfred Haack, managing director of the German research organisation, STUVA, and past president of the ITA, has organised a 90 minute session on Fire and Life Safety in Tunnels, to be held Wednesday afternoon, 22 May. Dr. Haack has been involved in the investigation of the recent spate of highway tunnel fires in the Alps and is prepared to share his findings.
Industry Issues
AUA president George Yoggy will chair the wrap-up session on ‘Issues Facing the US Underground Construction Industry’. Several panelists will discuss their views and the discussion will be opened up to the floor. A similar session was held at NAT 2000 in Boston and it proved to be very valuable to all who attended.
