The CNGS excavation works very nearly reached completion on 18 December 2002, when the connection of the access gallery TZ80 (to the CNGS hadron stop area) with the TI_8 transfer line tunnel was made.

There are now just two small sections to be excavated: first, some 15 metres of alcove parallel to TI_8 (needed for cooling and ventilation equipment), then a few metres at the upstream end of the proton beam tunnel TT41 (to connect it to the existing TJ8 cavern, which in turn links to the SPS extraction region).