A gabion wall of 30 m long and 9 m high for a residential plot at Bahria town Rawalpindi, Pakistan, started bulging right after one month of its construction. In this study, two approaches i.e., analytical and Finite Element Method (FEM) using Plaxis 2D software were carried out to assess the structural stability of the Gabion Retaining Wall. The results of the analytical and numerical analysis show that the Gabion Retaining Wall is marginally safe with the factor of safety (FOS) 1.19 and 1.07 respectively, while displacement at the top was found out to be 0.4 m with the maximum stresses at the toe. Finally, the stepped-faced Gabion Wall along with 200 mm concrete at the toe was found out to be a viable solution for the stabilization of the Gabion Retaining Wall. Consequently, FOS increased to 1.27 with the decrease of displacement at the top from 0.4 m to 0.1 m while stresses at the toe were decreased by 50%.

To accommodate traffic volume on roads due to ever-increasing population growth, the widening of highways and motorways is in high demand. Nevertheless, the widening of tunnels on these road networks is quite complex due to the presence of numerous rock types, in situ stress, and different widening modes. To overcome these complexities, eight different tunnel shapes were simulated under varying support conditions for asymmetric and symmetric widening. It was found that the tunnels with a round shape, such as horseshoe and semicircular with flatbed, are more effective for asymmetric widening, whereas the provision of a rounded invert in these shapes can reverse the widening option to symmetric. Furthermore, an insignificant effect of the difference in asymmetric and symmetric widening of regular tunnel shapes, such as box, rectangular, and semi-elliptical, was found. A full factorial design statistical analysis confirmed the decrease in tunnel deformation by using various tunnel support systems and showed a significant deformation difference according to monitoring locations at the tunnel periphery. The deformation difference in the case of both tunnel widening modes was also analyzed according to different design parameters. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of rock mass behavior when the widening of any underground opening is carried out.