High-risk assignment on the Soulat Tunnel project near Marseille

Our Sol Solution teams have been involved in an SNCF project for the re-commissioning of the Mourepiane connection to Marseille. The study included a total of 17 Pandoscope® soundings including 9 at the Soulat Tunnel.  The Pandoscope® is a technique that enables us to obtain a real-time mechanical and physical characterisation of the soil. Our technology is based on two pillars: soil resistance and image analysis.

Access to the Soulat tunnel is totally forbidden due to heavy hexavalent chromium contamination.

Indeed, this contamination is not present in the air but in the water that seeps into the interior of the structure. This intervention required additional equipment, waterproof gloves and boots, chemical suit, waterproof goggles, filter mask, PID detector and the installation of safety devices so that our technicians could move around and work in the best possible conditions.

In addition to people, our equipment has also been protected from this contamination. Our agents were made aware of the intervention procedures and risks of this type of mission during training given by DEKRA before entering the tunnel.

At the end of this complex mission, all the equipment was placed in specific drums for destruction and the material was completely cleaned and depolluted. For our teams, this intervention was a particular but very formative experience, which beyond its success reinforces our capacity to apprehend interventions in complex contexts.