Drilling and blasting was successfully used to construct tunnels throughout the world, notably the Fréjus Rail Tunnel, the Gotthard Rail Tunnel, the Simplon Tunnel, the Jungfraubahn and even the longest road tunnel in the world, Lærdalstunnelen, are constructed using this method.
In 1990, 2.1 million tonnes (2.32 million short tons) of commercial explosives were consumed in the United States, representing an estimated expenditure of 3.5 to 4 billion 1993 dollars on blasting.