Computer simulation is a powerful tool for decision-making. It provides an appealing approach for analyzing and improving repetitive processes such as tunneling. Construction simulation also provides a great assistance to decision makers in analyzing various construction operations and alternatives and thereby experiment with different construction technologies, and estimate the possible consequences and impacts on scheduling and costs.

This thesis presents the design, development and successful implementation of a special purpose simulation (SPS) tool for utility tunnel construction operations including a new modeling technique to predict the soil types in the tunnel path, a major critical factor of tunnel construction productivity. The prediction of soil types during tunneling has been modeled using analytical methods. The thesis is comprised of two areas of research in addition to an SPS tool for tunnel construction operations that improves the overall process of tunnel construction operations.

The first part is the prediction of soil types and the combinations of soils from the surficial soil layer to the bottommost soil layer along the tunnel path, which provides the background information for the second part of the research. The second part is the prediction of soil transitions along the tunnel path using transitional probabilities that was implemented within the SPS template in tunneling. The prediction of soil types allows construction engineers to analyze the uncertainties in predicting soil types for tunneling in addition to the typical geotechnical explorations. The soil transition algorithms within the developed SPS template provide an accurate prediction of tunnel advance rates and productivity for tunnel construction operations.