ITA Tunnelling Award winners announced

The winners of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) Tunnelling Awards 2024 have been announced at a gala in Genoa, Italy. Celebrating its 10th year, the awards recognise groundbreaking achievements in underground engineering and its role in shaping cities and infrastructure globally.

London’s Tideway project, known as the “Super Sewer,” won major project of the year (€500 million+/£430 million+), earning gold for its efforts to improve the River Thames' water quality. “This is a proud moment for everyone involved in Tideway,” said a project spokesperson.

The project of the year (€50–€500 million/£43–£430 million) category awarded gold to Austria’s Brenner Base Tunnel Lot H52 Hochstegen, a key section of one of the world’s longest railway tunnels.

Other standout winners include Italy’s Manfreida Road Tunnel Renovation Project, taking gold in renovation project of the year, and China’s ultra-small turning radius hard rock TBM, which topped the product/equipment innovation of the year category.

The awards also recognised future-focused achievements. South Korea earned gold in technical innovation of the year for its disc cutter wear sensor package and TBM monitoring system. In the beyond engineering category, Israel’s modern underground cemetery was celebrated for its unique combination of creativity and sustainability.

Young talent in the tunnelling sector was also recognised, with Italian engineer Luigi D’Angelo, aged 34, named young tunneller of the year.

The next ITA Tunnelling Awards will take place in Belgrade, Serbia, from 1–3 October 2025, during the Southeastern Europe Tunnelling Conference. Entries for the 2025 awards open soon.

The full list of winners is:

MAJOR PROJECT OF THE YEAR - €500 MILLION+/£430 million+
Gold Thames Tideway – London’s Super Sewer, UK 
Silver Grand Central Madison, formerly East Side Access, New York, USA 
Bronze Thomson-East Coast Line Contracts T222 to T310, Singapore 
4th Single-bore Double-deck Municipal Expressway Tunnel with Super-large Diameter, China

PROJECT OF THE YEAR - €50-€500 MILLION/£43–£430 million
Gold Brenner Base Tunnel - Lot H52 Hochstegen, Austria 
Silver Isarco River Underpass - Lot H71, Brenner Base Tunnel, Italy 
Bronze Lyon-Turin Saint-Martin-la-Porte Exploratory Tunnel, France 
4th Musaimeer Pump Station and Outfall Project, Qatar

RENOVATION PROJECT OF THE YEAR 
Gold Manfreida Road Tunnel Renovation Project, Italy 
Silver Refurbishment of the Heinenoord Immersed Tube Road Tunnel, Netherlands 
Bronze Genoa Railway Junction Capacity Upgrade, Italy

PRODUCT/EQUIPMENT INNOVATION OF THE YEAR 
Gold Ultra-Small Turning Radius Hard Rock TBM, China 
Silver SOGUN: Geometric Control System for Shotcreting and Other Tunnelling Works, Spain 
Bronze Advanced Hybrid Wireless Sensor Network System for Safety Risk Sensing in Tunnel and Underground Engineering, China 
4th Type 0-90° Continuous Conveyor Equipment, China TECHNICAL