Tunneling
DC Water begins major Potomac River tunnel excavation near Watergate
DC Water is breaking ground on a major Potomac River tunnel project near Watergate, featuring deep excavation, secant pile drilling, and new trail detours to cut combined sewer overflows by 93%.
EGLE opens public comment phase for Line 5 tunnel project
Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has opened a public comment period for the Enbridge Line 5 tunnel project in the Straits of Mackinac. According to WLNS 6 News, members of the public can submit comments until Aug 29, with the EGLE launching a full review of the project this week.
Normet appoints new tunneling director to expand North, Latin America reach
Normet, a global technology company specializing in underground solutions, tunneling and civil engineering, has appointed Claudia Hernandez as Director of Tunneling Americas, reinforcing its goal to expand across both North America and Latin America. Claudia has held key technical and leadership roles supporting some of the world's most complex underground projects, Normet stated.
31 workers rescued after LA tunnel partially collapses
A massive rescue operation was launched last night in Los Angeles after a section of an underground tunnel partially collapsed, according to officials. A total of 31 workers were brought out safely, according to multiple news outlets. The collapse occurred 400 feet underground as workers were operating a tunnel boring machine.
Giant boring machine breaks through after 4-year dig under Auckland, New Zealand
A massive tunnel boring machine completed New Zealand’s longest wastewater tunnel, marking a major milestone in Auckland’s $1.2 billion Central Interceptor project. The 10-mile tunnel will improve water quality and system resilience through 2028.
Combining hand tunneling, HDD for El Paso sewer job
To accommodate new residential development in El Paso, Texas, crews have been working for more than a year on a project to install a 54-inch sewer force main for El Paso Water. The plan was to complete the installation by hand tunneling – until complications necessitated the addition of horizontal directional drilling (HDD).
Drilling, excavation to begin for four-mile, $133 million sewer tunnel in Charleston, S.C.
The Charleston Water System is initiating the final phase of a significant underground tunnel project aimed at connecting sewage pipes in rural areas of the county to the Plum Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, Live 5 News reported. With a total budget of $133 million, this project represents the most expensive infrastructure undertaking in the history of the Charleston Water System.
Elon Musk may bring Boring Co. tunnels to Music City
Elon Musk’s Boring Co. is in early talks with Tennessee officials about building an underground transit tunnel in Nashville. The project could link downtown to the airport and mirror the company’s Las Vegas tunnel system.
DC Water to begin ground stabilization phase of Potomac River Tunnel Project
Next month, DC Water will commence work to stabilize the ground prior to beginning excavation for the Potomac River Tunnel Project. Concrete columns, known as secant piles, will be installed in deep-drilled holes. These will serve as a retaining wall to avert soil collapse and groundwater intrusion during the excavation process, DC Water stated.
Collapse threat prompts DC Water to reinforce 140-year-old tunnel with shotcrete, geopolymer
DC Water has completed emergency repairs on a 140-year-old sewer tunnel beneath 22nd Street NW after a large soil void threatened collapse. Crews reinforced the structure using shotcrete and geopolymer lining to stabilize over 1,200 feet of aging pipe.
Dallas flood relief tunnel 80% complete, final lining work underway underground
Major excavation began in 2019 and wrapped up in 2022, but work continues to install a 15-inch-thick concrete liner along the tunnel walls to create a smooth, finished surface for water flow.
Metrolinx invites public to name tunnel boring machines for Ontario Line
Metrolinx is calling on the public to help name the first two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) set to excavate the downtown section of the Ontario Line subway project.
Santa Clara VTA looks to save $400 million by switching tunnel contractors on BART project
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is said to be seeking a new tunneling contractor for the $12.7 billion Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) extension through downtown San Jose, Calif., Progressive Railroading reported. Authority leaders this week will make a board recommendation to exit its current contract with Kiewit Shea Traylor (KST).
Amtrak begins shutdown of East River Tunnel tube for rehab project in NYC
Amtrak has begun its largest planned service outage in decades to restore East River Tunnels damaged by Superstorm Sandy. The work will fully reconstruct Line 2 and later Line 1, modernizing the century-old tunnels for another century of rail service.
Hudson Tunnel Project achieves another major construction milestone
The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) announced this week that the Hudson Yards Concrete Casing – Section 3 (HYCC-3) Project is more than 50 percent complete and is on track to be finished in 2026. The project reached this significant milestone on schedule and on budget.
Fort Wayne, Ind., tunnel project uses Vortex inserts to protect sewer system
Fort Wayne City Utilities is constructing a five-mile-long tunnel deep beneath the city to reduce combined sewer overflows into local rivers. Part of its Tunnel Works program, the project includes nine drop shafts, five of which feature IPEX’s Vortex Flow Inserts designed to minimize odors, prevent corrosion and improve wastewater quality before treatment.
Factory testing completed for DC Water’s Potomac River tunnel boring machine
DC Water completes factory testing on tunnel boring machine Mary, which will dig 2.4 miles as part of the Potomac River Tunnel project to cut sewer overflows by 93%.
Work paused on NYC’s massive tunnel repair as drought triggers contract overhaul
The $2 billion effort to fix a leak in New York City’s Delaware Aqueduct, which supplies water to millions, is now expected to finish after 2027 due to drought-related delays and contract revisions.
$51 million settlement adds to delays on Hartford, Conn., 41-million-gallon sewer tunnel
Hartford, Connecticut’s massive South Hartford Conveyance and Storage Tunnel project is now expected to cost $335 million and won’t be completed until 2026 after a legal dispute over groundwater conditions delayed progress.
DC Water's Potomac River Tunnel Project to begin controlled underground blasting
As part of the excavation work for DC Water’s Potomac River Tunnel Project, weekly controlled underground blasting operations at the West Potomac Park construction site will begin as early as next week and continue through February 2026. Once blasting is complete, tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be used to construct the 5.5-mile tunnel.
Army Corps eyes fall 2025 for Line 5 Tunnel permit decision
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it expects to make a permit decision on the Line 5 Tunnel Project in fall 2025, with a draft environmental review set for release May 30 and public comments accepted through June.
Manchester, N.H. awards contract for tunnel project to address sewer overflows
Methuen Obayashi Joint Venture has been awarded a contract for the city of Manchester, New Hampshire’s Cemetery Brook Drain Tunnel Project, the Union Leader reported. The Cemetery Brook Drain Tunnel is a 2.25-mile tunnel that once built, will measure 12.5 feet in diameter and run 30- to 80-feet underground.
Final tunnel construction begins for Toronto’s Eglinton transit extension project
According to Metrolinx, crews in Toronto have begun the final phase of construction for tunnels that will connect the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension to the existing terminus of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT (Line 5 Eglinton) at Mount Dennis Station in Toronto, Canada.
U.S. Army Corps moves to expedite Line 5 tunnel under Trump’s emergency order
The proposed tunnel for an oil and gas pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac has faced continued opposition from environmental groups. President Trump issued an order declaring an “energy emergency” in the early days of his second administration, calling on projects such as Line 5 to move forward at rapid pace.
Gov. Newsom’s push to advance $20 billion Delta Conveyance tunnel project continues
According to Los Angeles Times, state hearings are continuing as Calif. Governor Newsom fights for approvals to build a $20-billion water tunnel in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Lawyers for both opponents and supporters are engaged in debates over the project's costs, benefits and risks.
MTA advances $7.7 billion East Harlem subway tunnel project with $186 million oversight contract
The MTA has approved a $186.6 million contract with AECOM-HNTB to oversee tunneling and systems work for Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway extension, advancing one of New York’s largest underground infrastructure projects into East Harlem.
Willamette River goes sewer overflow-free thanks to Big Pipe system in Portland, Ore.
Portland recently marked a major environmental milestone: one full year without a combined sewer overflow (CSO) into the Willamette River, a testament to the long-term success of the city’s $1.4 billion Big Pipe Project.
Tribes withdraw Line 5 tunnel cooperation in protest of Trump’s “energy emergency” declaration
According to Interlochen Public Radio (IPR), six native tribes in Michigan have withdrawn their support as cooperating agencies for the Line 5 tunnel project in a formal letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Attempts to fast-track the project under President Trump's "energy emergency" declaration have amplified concerns on potential impacts from construction.
New report shows Hudson Tunnel Project supports $4.5 billion in economic output
The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) has published a new economic impact analysis of the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP), finding that the work currently underway will support 20,200 direct and indirect jobs while generating $4.5 billion in economic output and $1.7 billion in labor income.
Worm-like robot burrows underground to cut power line installation costs
The innovation, known as a "peristaltic conduit," mimics the segmented movement of earthworms to propel itself through the soil with minimal disruption to existing infrastructure.
- Three Houston workers killed by hydrogen sulfide leak during sewer repair
- Trump's tariffs drive $33 million cost increase for Cincinnati sewer project
- TxDOT advances massive drainage tunnel beneath I-35 in Austin
- Funding approved for $1.3 billion, 60-mile water reuse system in southern Utah
- Is the Boring Company tunneling blind in Nashville? Experts warn rock tests fall short