Safe Assets: Improve the road tunnel cleaning process through technology innovation (e.g. automation and/or standalone modular cleaning systems)

Breakdowns of the tunnel washing vehicles (TWV) and shortage of manpower. Current process is labour intensive, time-consuming and results in occasional damage to tunnel equipment.  

Please refer to the attachments,

Annex A: Required manpower for tunnel washing operations
Annex B: Areas required to be cleaned during tunnel washing operations

• Takes around 1 hour to clean 1km of tunnel excl. prep work.
• Breakdown due to age and high usage
• Turnaround time ~2 weeks

Strategic importance of the project:

• To reduce reliance on manpower with semi-automation of the cleaning process
• To improve operational reliability and efficiency by reducing/eliminating equipment downtime via systems modularisation or equivalent
• To reduce traffic disruption during cleaning of road tunnels with more efficient cleaning process
• To prevent property damage (e.g. Cameras and other electronic components, signages/covers, etc).
• Currently the washing medium is chemical diluted with water. As the wastewater is discharged into the sewer, the chemical must comply with NEA’s requirement. Preferred to be environmentally friendly as well.

• Prototype must be able to carry out cleaning for the entire tunnel. Refer to Annex B: Areas required to be cleaned during tunnel washing operations
• Able to be operated by 4/5 men
• Semi-automate and SMART system (e.g. sensors or equivalent) to avoid causing property damage
• This cleaning module should facilitate easy mounting and dismounting onto/from prime movers (e.g. Lorries, Trucks) with a crash attenuator mounted.
• The proposed prime movers should be provided by solution provider for trials and integration.
• To provide a cleanliness standard to measure cleaning quality before and after washing operations.
• The cleaning module(s) should be capable of carrying out cleaning operations on both its right and left side easily.
• Safe for users to operate, outdoor, all weather, 365-days, 24/7.
• The cleaning module should avoid all junction boxes and service cabinets spaced at about 50m apart.

• Tunnel Washing Vehicle (TMV) in service since 2007. Yearly maintenance of 32km of road tunnel bound. For solution providers to propose commercial model of solution.
• Open to review solution providers’ commercial plan.

Expected Key Outcomes:

• To achieve manpower savings by 50%, reduce current 9 men to 4/5 men operation. Meet/exceed current operational efficiency and cleaning quality.
• Solution to be ready by 2024. To explore deployment opportunities, upon successful solution development.

18 months from project commencement.

Development funding of up to 80%* of qualifying project cost, which includes pilot sites, user guidance and information related to the problem statement.

*Till end of March 2022