As a leading hospital on the Central Coast, Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital (SVMH) has begun construction on a new Energy Center, a utility tunnel, a retrofit of the existing building and various other projects. To complete the utility tunnel, SVMH has partnered with The Don Chapin Company. The utility tunnel will join the hospital to the new Energy Center and will house data, power and communication lines for the hospital campus. The tunnel will run along San Jose Street from Los Palos Drive to Wilgart Way.

We are currently in phase one of this project. Phase one consists of excavating, shoring, and installing approximately 400 lineal feet of 9 X 12 box culvert section. Each section is five feet long and weight approximately 23,000 lbs. These sections are lifted and placed 22 feet in the ground. After installation, these sections are back filled with special pea gravel and native materials. Included with the tunnel sections are three precast concrete vaults. Each vault comes in 5 to 7 pieces and is assembled in the excavation. Every vault is spaced at even intervals along the tunnel route. The tunnel will serve as a conduit between the proposed Energy Center and the main hospital. It will carry steam piping, electrical conduits, communication lines, and a number of other conduits.