Dr Christopher Snee

This is the completed station cavern for the 7 Line extension in New York City. I was appointed by Arup/GZA to supervise the initial support phase for the contractor. It was completed ahead of schedule and was the first cavern built in NY using modern support technology.

I was appointed by AES Gener to carry out due diligence for the geological and underground elements of the project, which is about 70km of tunnels and shafts and two underground power houses for this remote high altitude hydropower project in central Chile.

I was at the site 1 week after the February 2010 earthquake and witnessed spectacular effects such as the massive slip of the mountain side in this picture.

This water tunnel collapsed when it entered a faulted and weathered zone. The attempts at steel support were unsuccessful. The solution was to abandon the tunnel and drive a bypass. In this soft, generally stable ground it was a rapid and economic solution.

 I managed a joint research program with Sinotech Consultants of Taiwan to develop new methods of predicting the behavior of weak, soft rocks in high stress. The work was an integral part of the massive tunneling program  to improve transportation links throughout the country.

In the early stages (thus the mode of transport) of the Three Gorges project I was invited by the statutory body responsible for design to visit the site and discuss technology transfer in tunneling and rock mechanics.

 This is the "upper level" of the excavation for the enormous ship lock.

 I have been involved in the ESA for nearly 10 years, initially as chief geologist at the design stage with STV Inc and recently with Arup to develop an alternative design for the initial support for the contractor.

This is the first use of a heavy duty roadheader in the Manhattan Schist.

I was asked by Vetter Stone to inspect one of their mines in Alabama. Specifically the configuration of the room and pillar layout. This is the unusual and dramatic entrance that was the brainchild of a previous owner to develop the mine as a tourist attraction.

I carried out a technical peer review of the design for the Santiago Metro Blue Line Extension with Arup. It was one of the rare chances to see a soft ground tunnel built without worrying about groundwater!

As  a research scientist on a scholarship from the National Coal Board I carried out the instrumentation and analysis of the deep mine inset at North Selby No 1 shaft. At 1,000 m deep it was essential to find a lighter support to replace the thick concrete linings as shown. The insets were built successfully with rockbolts, shotcrete and arches and became the norm for deep inset support at a number of other mines. Sadly the mine has since closed.

Forensic investigation of the collapse of the headrace tunnel for the Glendoe hydro project in Scotland with Donaldson Associates Ltd.