The Gyropress Method™ tubular pile rotary cutting press-in method of GIKEN LTD. has been adopted for the relocation of the Shutoko underground at Nihonbashi in Tokyo. This project has a total cost of 320 billion yen and will be creating a new underground route by 2035, followed by the complete removal of the aging viaducts by 2040, transforming Nihonbashi into a new town. In the Shutoko Renewal Project to revitalise the Metropolitan Expressway, this is the next major step after the renewal of Daishi Expressway Bridge.*
Nihonbashi will continue to create new value by bringing together people, businesses, and culture from around the world while retaining its history as the starting-point of the five Gokaido highways in the Edo period. In parallel with moving the expressway underground, an urban renewal project for strategic national zones based on the principle of “Preserve, Revitalize, and Create Anew” is being carried out, and the technological capabilities of the GIKEN Group will be used to contribute to this fusion of tradition and innovation.
GIKEN SEKO CO., LTD. constructed retaining walls using tubular piles as part of the work of widening the river in order to install shafts for the shield tunnel underground. This was difficult work hampered by the underground sections of the demolished buildings, but after pressing in 41 tubular piles for the river retaining walls, they completed installation of small diameter tubular piles between the initial piles.
The Group will continue to devote all its energy to proposing new technologies for overcoming issues, working to ensure that the undergrounding work goes quickly and smoothly.
* See also the past news release. (https://www.giken.com/en/news-cat/release/17_oct_2023/)
■Shutoko Nihonbashi Section Undergrounding Project
To handle the rapid expansion of the car-based society, the Shutoko was connected using an elevated viaduct over Nihonbashi River. However, the viaduct is aging, and in addition, some 100,000 vehicles pass over it a day, subjecting it to extreme conditions and hastening damage. For that reason, the decision was made in 2019 to create an underground route that would both ensure long-term safety and improve the scenery and environment around the Nihonbashi River. Specifically, a shield tunnel will be constructed underground in the area of the Nihonbashi River and connected to the Yaesu Line of the Shutoko which is already underground. In addition, the viaduct from the Kandabashi to the Edobashi junctions will be removed.
* Image source: Business Brochure (Metropolitan Expressway Co., Ltd. Official Website）
(https://www.shutoko.jp/ss/nihonbashi-tikaka/gallery/nihonbashi_pamphlet.pdf)
■GIKEN Group Construction Details
This river-widening construction is designed to alleviate the obstruction to the flow of the Nihonbashi River caused by the shaft installation. The shafts will be used to dismantle and transport the shield machine as it progresses through its underground excavation. The site is the redevelopment zone along the Nihonbashi River, and the ground contained concrete structures, etc. that once formed the basement levels in the demolished buildings. In addition, it was also required that construction not hamper boat transport along the Nihonbashi River.
Using the Gyropress Method™, a tubular pile with ripping bits called “ring bits” is rotated and pressed in, penetrating without removing the assumed remains underground, allowing smooth construction of the retaining walls. This project also installed small diameter tubular piles to fill in gaps between the initial piles to stop the water.
Prepared by GIKEN LTD. based on data supplied from Metropolitan Expressway Co., Ltd.
■ Construction Overview
| Project Name | Ikkokubashi Downstream River Widening Work |
|---|---|
| Location | Nihonbashi Hongoku-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo |
| Project Owner | Metropolitan Expressway Co., Ltd. |
| Main contractor | TODA CORPORATION |
| Sub-contractor | GIKEN SEKO CO., LTD. |
| Equipment | F401-G1200 GYRO PILERTM |
| Specification of Pile Elements | 41 tubular piles (1200 mm diameter, 13.8-21.5 m lengths) 79 small diameter tubular piles (318.5 mm diameter, 9.2 m length) |
■Future Outlook
More than half a century has passed since the Shutoko was opened in 1962, and major renewal projects are being carried out in a number of areas along it. With a high number of people and many buildings in the area, there is increasing interest in GIKEN technology that can allow temporary work free space-saving construction. In addition to continued adoption in this project, GIKEN will also contribute both its knowledge and technology to the full-scale revitalisation of the Metropolitan Expressway in other areas, as well as the renewal of other aging infrastructure throughout Japan.
■Profile of GIKEN Group
GIKEN developed the SILENT PILER™, the world’s first reaction-based, non-vibratory hydraulic pile driving machine that operates with minimal noise impacts. The GIKEN Group now actively promotes its press-in technology worldwide and contributes to the construction industry by proposing and implementing innovative solutions. The innovative press-in technology provides a unique solution and the adoption of this technology has spread to over 40 nations and regions.
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