Boring a motorway tunnel, in difficult ground, under the centre of the Mediterranean coast town of Toulon in southern France requires perfect mastery of ground movements so as to avoid any risk to buildings located on the route. Two examples of backfeed analysis on these works show the benefit of a thorough investigation of the results from the surface settlement measurements and convergence and levelling measurements made on the pre-vaults making the tunnel support. Some elements regarding the collapse occured on 15 March 1996 are described.