The first enlargement is completed. Now the hole has a diameter of 1.5 meters. Machinery are disassembled and excavation activities will resume in next spring.

The T1 cableway from Entreves to the Pavillon is also operational.

This facility completes the supplies delivery system.

The Regional Valle d’Aosta news channel transmitted a segment on the progress at the work site.

The segment can be viewed at this link and starts at minute 10:34.

Centering by centering we are progressing towards Pointe Helbronner and the excavation for the tunnel is almost halfway done.

The assembly of the cableway that leads up to the Pavillon is almost completed.

All cables have been placed and soon each trip will enable carrying 10 tons of materials.

This year vacations are brief. The work site is reduced during the August holiday week, but does not shut down completely. Maintenance work and logistic preparations continue in our push towards Pointe Helbronner.

With representatives of the public administration in attendance, a wooden statue depicting Saint Barbara was blessed in front of the entrance to the tunnel leading to the Rifugio Torino, and was then placed in a niche near the tunnel entrance. As is tradition with underground work, the tunnel was baptized with a woman’s name: “Alice”.

Assembly of the second Pointe Helbronner crane was completed with the help of a high performance Kamov helicopter; the two cranes will allow transporting materials from the Rifugio Torino work site to the Pointe Helbronner site.

The testing ground is being developed for the building of a low-permeability cutoff wall in jet-grouting, which will protect the excavations for building the North car park. A series of underground columns will be built by high pressure injection of a cement mixture; placed side by side they will create an unbroken barrier to maintain the groundwater level.