8:00 am –10:00 am
Conference Opening & Keynote Session
Chair: Jenn Sketchley, Mott MacDonald
8:00 am – 8:10 am
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Jenn Sketchley, Mott MacDonald
8:10 am – 8:40 am
Keynote: From Risk to Resilience: Tunnels and the Future of Flood Risk Management
Col. (R) Timothy R. Vail, Vice President and Water Business Group Manager, HDR
Tim Vail is a Strategic Transformation Leader with over 28 years of experience leading multi-billion-dollar federal infrastructure programs in procurement, engineering, construction, and operations. A retired Army Colonel and former Commander of two US Army Corps of Engineers Districts, he also served as Military Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) during two US Administrations. Tim’s leadership in USACE was instrumental in shaping the technical and economic foundation for large-scale tunnel-based flood mitigation strategies, and he is recognized for executive-level leadership in crisis response, inter-agency coordination, and strategic communication. He currently serves as Vice President and Water Business Group Manager for HDR.
8:40 am – 9:10 am
Keynote: Practical Experiences in the Use of AI & Machine Learning for Reducing Cost & Predicting Geological Risk On-Site
Fernando Vara, Global Business Development Director, Acciona Construcción
Fernando Vara, Global Business Development Director at ACCIONA Construcción, has over 27 years of international experience leading major civil engineering projects, particularly in tunnel construction. Having directed projects across Europe and Australia, he is recognized for his expertise in managing large-scale, complex urban works and has contributed to world-record achievements in tunnel boring. In his current senior role, he leverages his technical background to oversee global sales, client relationships, and strategic development, with a focus on innovation, sustainability, and reducing carbon emissions.
Keynote: Through the Tunnel: HRBT Project Progress and the Road Ahead
Claudio Cimiotti, Project Executive, Hampton Roads Connector Partners
Claudio is a seasoned construction professional currently serving as Project Executive at Hampton Roads Connector Partners since March 2025, and prior to this role, held multiple positions at Dragados USA, Inc., including VP of Underground Operations, Project Manager, and Construction Manager.
Ryan Banas, Vice President HNTB
For the past decade, Banas has worked as a project manager for HNTB and currently oversees the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion, the largest transportation infrastructure project in Virginia’s history. The project is designed to increase capacity and ease congestion.
10:00 am – 10:30 am
Coffee Break with Sponsors
10:30 am – Noon
Innovations in Mechanized Tunneling
Chair: Elisa Comis, Arx Group USA
10:30 am – 10:50 am
Ellicott City Refurbished Hard Rock Machine
Mohamed Maghari & Enrico Brandoni, Kiewit
10:50 am – 11:10 am
Breaking Through the Old Ways: TBMs Take the Cross Passage Stage
Riccardo Miotto, CREG
11:10 am – 11:30 am
Full-Alignment Tunnel Induced Deformation Forecasting via Numerical Modeling: Overcoming Sparse Monitoring and Limited Geotechnical Data Constraints
Joey Verkler, Colorado School of Mines
11:30 am – 11:50 am
Setting New Precedence in TBM and SEM Tunneling in Australia: The North East Link
Brooke Carnes, Delve Underground
Noon – 1:30 pm
Lunch with Sponsors
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
HydroPower, Resilience & Other Private Projects
Chair: Waleed Assaf, EPC Consultants
1:30 pm – 1:50 pm
Turning Legacy Mines into Modern Assets: Pumped Storage for Resilient Energy Infrastructure
Ushakar Jha, Rye Development
1:50 pm – 2:10 pm
Hybrid Grouting Measures While Tunneling at 14 bar Water Pressure on the Ritom Hydroelectric Project
Stefan Lemke, Renesco
2:10 pm – 2:30 pm
Re-purposing the Underground for World Class Science: Cavern Excavation for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment
Seth Pollak, Arup
2:30 pm – 2:50 pm
Linth-Limmern: Engineering Resilience with Altitude & Precision
Flavio Maccanelli, Arx Group
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Coffee Break & Exhibition
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Panel Session: Bringing Large-Scale Underground Infrastructure to Market: Strategies for Funding, Financing and Delivery
Moderator: Joe O’Carroll
A selection of industry experts working on current or upcoming underground projects will discuss common issues on bringing projects and programs to market from funding to delivery, in a vibrant discussion and look to the audience for input on how the tunneling industry can help to address these challenges.
Panelists:
Ushakar Jha, Rye Development
Graham Bradner, Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority
Col. (R) Timothy Vail, HDR
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Exhibit Hall Reception
8:00 am – 10:00 am
Advances in Materials, Equipment & Safety
Chair: Marion Saler, Dr. Sauer & Partners
8:00 am – 8:20 am - Under Pressure: Hyperbaric Challenges and Triumphs on the Annacis Water Supply Tunnel
Darren Von Platen, Traylor Bros & Justin Costello, Ballard Marine Construction
8:20 am – 8:40 am - Tunnel Enlargement System and Lining Erector Machine: Two Examples of Current Developments in Mechanized Tunnel Renewal & Installation of Precast Segmental Linings – Volker Breuning, Herrenknecht
8:40 am – 9:00 am - Efficiency Underground: Cost, Performance & Sustainability Gains with Macrosynthetic Fiber Reinforced Concrete for a Stormwater Tunnel System
Rebecka Quinette, Delve Underground, Dan Nosbush, Kiewit & Zach Hollenbeck, Howard County
9:00 am – 9:20 am - Roboplant Automation & Robotics Take Precast Segment Production to the Next Level: Achievements, Lessons Learned & Future Developments
Lorenzo Di Luca, WeBuild
9:20 am – 9:40 am - The Sustainable Tunnel: Lining Reinforcement with Fiberglass Rods (GFRP) – Looking Forward with Traditional Technologies
Alessandro Focaracci, Prometeo Engineering
10:00 am – 10:30 am
Coffee Break & Exhibition
10:30 am – Noon
Developments in AI, Machine Learning & Automation
Chair: Tara Wilk, Walsh Construction
10:30 am – 10:50 am - Modernizing Conventional Tunneling: Automation and Digitalization
Dirk Chisnell, VMT
10:50 am – 11:10 am - Machine Development Around Integration of Automation
Brad Grothen, Robbins
11:10 am – 11:30 am - Invisible Guardians: Wireless Human Detection for Safer Tunneling Operations
Joe Pecaitis, Traylor Bros
11:30 am – 11:50 am - Mitigating Blast-Induced Vibrations in Mining: Application of Signature Hole Analysis and Wave Superposition Principles
Randi Seiwald, Dyno Noble
Noon – 1:30pm
Buffet Lunch & Exhibition
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Major Projects
Chair: Shaun Firth, Jacobs
1:30 pm – 1:50 pm - The Woodsmith Mine Project: Innovative Shotcrete Design for a Mine Development
Justyna Wróblicka, Dr. Sauer & Partners
1:50 pm – 2:10 pm - BART to Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Program Update
Sarah Wilson, VTA
2:10 pm – 2:30 pm - Progress on Austin’s CAPEX Central Drainage Tunnel
Ross Webb, Affholder
2:30 pm – 2:50 pm - DC Clean Rivers Project & Potomac River Tunnel
Martino Scialpi, Arx Group, Raul Fernandez & Victor Despointes, CBNA
2:50 pm – 3:10 pm - St. Louis MSD’s Project Clear Bidding Opportunities: LMRDP & Tribs Tunnel Projects
Patricia Pride, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Coffee Break & Exhibition
4:00 pm – 5:20 pm
Panel Session: “Who’s paying for it?” How do you get Predictability in the Bidding Environment
Moderator: Bob Goodfellow
A panel of industry experts – including owners, contractors and consultants – will discuss the challenges involved in setting appropriate budgets and schedule. We will discuss the owner’s cost estimating and comparisons between owners’ estimates and the actual cost of underground projects. This will be a wide-ranging discussion of cost estimating and budget setting approaches used in the US and around the world. We will discuss methods of procurement within the context of each method's ability to deliver much-needed underground infrastructure projects within acceptable budgets.
Panelists:
Jarrett Carlson, Mott MacDonald
James Foley, Schnabel
Aurélien Gil, Jacobs
Anthony O'Donnell, Kiewit
Sarah Wilson, VTA
5:20 pm
Chair’s Closing Remarks
Jenn Sketchley, Mott MacDonald