By rosebell
The first of two Herrenknecht tunnel boring machines (TBMs) commissioned for New York’s Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 project has passed its Factory Acceptance Test (FAT).
The 7.17m-diameter machine has been designed to address the geological conditions and operational challenges of tunnelling beneath Manhattan. It is scheduled to be shipped from Germany to the United States early next year.
Connect Plus Partners, a joint venture led by Halmar International, the US subsidiary of Itinera Group, and FCC Construction, will deploy the 123m-long TBM to construct the subway extension.
The project, being delivered for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), will extend the Q train service from 116th Street to 125th Street, improving public transport access to East Harlem. The 2.56km tunnel will run at depths ranging from 10.6m to 36.5m beneath Second Avenue.
In addition to the tunnel excavation, Connect Plus Partners will construct the cavern for the future 125th Street Station. The contractor will also outfit the existing tunnel section built in the 1970s to accommodate the future 116th Street Station. This approach is expected to save the MTA approximately US$500m.
Separately, the MTA recently released a draft scoping document for the proposed 125th Street Subway Tunnel Extension as part of its environmental review process.
According to the MTA, the two TBMs being used for Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 could potentially be redeployed to excavate the 125th Street extension. Reusing the machines could reduce costs and accelerate construction of the future extension.
