Despite the scale and international relevance of tunnel infrastructure, no International Organization for Standardization (ISO) committee currently standardizes civil and structural tunnel design as an integrated topic. Standards Australia has submitted a proposal to establish a new ISO Technical Committee (TC) to fill that gap. ANSI, the U.S. member body to ISO, is seeking U.S. stakeholder input by Friday, July 3.
Proposed Committee Scope
The proposed TC would establish common terminology, performance principles, and design interface guidance without replacing national codes—providing a coherent international framework where none currently exists.
Coverage would include:
- Geotechnical design inputs
- Groundwater design actions and responses
- Ground reinforcement
- Structural linings
- Durability
- Ground-structure interaction
- Assessment and retrofitting of existing tunnels
Immersed tunnels, cross passages, and underground stations may be considered where the work concerns tunnel-specific civil and structural design and does not duplicate existing ISO or IEC committee remits.
Exclusions from Scope
The proposed TC would not cover:
- Groundwater monitoring, hydrogeological investigation methods, or groundwater data acquisition and interpretation (ISO/TC 113/SC 8)
- Air quality, ventilation system design, and related equipment (ISO/TC 146/SC 3; ISO/TC 117)
- Fire safety, life safety, emergency communication systems, and railway-specific safety requirements (relevant ISO/IEC committees; ISO/TC 269/SC 1)
- Road traffic safety management and traffic-control systems (ISO/TC 241)
- Tunnel lighting (ISO/TC 274 and relevant CEN work)
- Product, material, and execution standards for concrete, sprayed concrete, injection products, geosynthetics, waterproofing, and drainage (ISO/TC 71; ISO/TC 221)
- Building and civil engineering information management, BIM, digital-twin information management, and sustainability assessment (ISO/TC 59/SC 13; ISO/TC 59/SC 17)
- Environmental management and impact assessments (ISO/TC 71/SC 8)
- Hydraulic tunnels, above-ground structures, standalone underground utilities, building architecture and finishes, electrical and communication systems, mining excavations, machinery and equipment design, and non-transport underground works
How to Submit Comments
Read the proposal and submit comments to Sara Desautels, ANSI senior director of international policy and strategy, at [email protected] by close of business on Friday, July 3. ANSI will incorporate all input into a recommended position and draft comments for ANSI ISO Committee approval ahead of the August 21, 2026, ISO voting deadline.
