Terrestrial Lidar Scanning for Lowell Creek Tunnel
Woolpert has completed two terrestrial laser scanning projects underground within the Lowell Creek Diversion Tunnel. The tunnel (known to locals as the “waterfall”) drains into Resurrection Bay passing under the Lowell Point Bridge, which is the only access point to Lowell Point, a coastal community populated by fish camps and year-round residents.
Each winter, the tunnel is dry, and surveyors go underground with the Riegl VZ400 terrestrial laser scanner to survey any changes and upgrades made each year. The annual survey is crucial to understanding this Pre-WWII tunnel and provides insight on upgrades and repairs. In February 2017 and March 2018, Woolpert surveyors mapped the half mile long tunnel to account for new changes and any erosion. In 2017, the floor of the tunnel was slanted inwards on each side, and in 2018, a flush tunnel floor was laid.