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UndergroundPoe Tunnel

Jason Myers

When you are faced with a project with limited access, material delivery by helicopter, the nearest personnel access is 5 miles (8 km) away, and the closest outside access to the shotcrete placement location is a half mile away, the only solution to handle all of these issues is shotcrete. The Poe Tunnel is a 15 mile (24 km) long tunnel in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and is in an area of steep canyons. The tunnel transports water from a forebay on the North Fork of the American River to the Poe Powerhouse where electrical power is generated. The tunnel is almost 20 ft (6 m) in diameter and was constructed in the 1950's.