Proposed 8 km tunnel to avoid San Clemente seashore on Los Angeles-San Diego high speed rail project to be assessed by the California High-Speed Rail Authority board on 14th November, 2001. Route would run from north of the pier at Avenida Pico following the freeway before reconnecting with existing coastal tracks around San Onofre. Visit www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov 43/01. The California High-Speed Rail Authority is to commence a $700 million EIS to determine the best route alignment for the 1,100 km-long high speed link between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The railway will have to comply with antiseismic standards and to cross two mountain massifs, requiring a 50 km tunnel. Cost of $25 billion. Visit www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov 02/02.The California High-Speed Rail Authority and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released a draft environmental impact report and environmental impact statement (EIR/EIS) for the planned 1,130 km high speed line from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Public hearings on the draft environmental report will be scheduled throughout the state beginning in mid-February. Tunnel segments of the alignment are proposed through the mountain passes in Diablo mountain range/Pacheco Pass between south San Jose and the Merced, and the Tehachapi mountains between Bakersfield and Sylmar. Visit www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov 08/04.A study by Geodata of Italy shows that routing the proposed high speed train through the Antelope Valley would be safer from earthquake hazards and far better serve southern California's transportation needs than the alternative Grapevine route also being considered by the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA). The Antelope Valley route is cheaper, faster to construct and safer to build than the Grapevine option which poses greater earthquake hazard and would cost more.The CHSRA has proposed a high speed train from the Bay Area to Los Angeles in about 2.5 hours. The project would cost an estimated USD35 billion and be the most expensive public works project in US history. Present plans call for Bakersfield to be the last Central Valley station before southern California. The train then would either follow a route through the Antelope Valley, with stops in Palmdale and Sylmar, or down the Grapevine route along the I-5 Freeway and stop in Sylmar before proceeding to Union Station downtown. The Palmdale to Union Station trip would take about 26 minutes. Visit www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov and www.geodata.it. More in E-News Weekly 17/2004. 17/04.A joint venture involving URS Corp., Hatch Mott MacDonald and Arup won two contracts for engineering and environmental work for California's proposed high speed rail system. The joint venture will do preliminary engineering and environmental analysis for a proposed 310 km segment between Fresno and Palmdale. This six-year contract could be worth USD41 million to URS. The joint venture will do similar work for a proposed 98 km rail line from Los Angeles to Palmdale, which could be worth USD21 million to URS. Read E-News Weekly 16/2007. Visit www.urscorp.com, www.hatchmott.com, www.arup.com, www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov 18/07.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has completed its evaluation of Statements of Qualifications submitted in response to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) S20221 BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Program / Tunnel & Trackwork Contract 2.  

The Short-Listed teams, to be invited to submit proposals in response to VTA’s forthcoming RFP, are 

• The BART Silicon Valley Phase II Tunnel Partners (B2TP), a Joint Venture between Acciona Construction Corp USA (Acciona), FCC Construcción S.A. (FCC) and The Lane Construction Corporation (Lane), supported by Hatch Associate Consultants Inc. (Hatch). 
• Bay Valley Connect, a Joint Venture between Civil & Building North America (BouyguesTP’ssubsidiaryintheU.S.),VINCI ConstructionandBarnard Construction, supported by Parsons 
• Kiewit Shea Traylor Joint Venture, a JV between Kiewit Infrastructure West Co, J.F. Shea Construction and Traylor Brothers, supported by Kiewit Engineering Group and ARUP 

For further information please click here. Also visit  https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/vta/projects/6325. Ref.n. RFP S20221. 22/21. 

  $8 million study concerning 8 km rail tunnel from Secaucus NJ on the west bank, under the Hudson River to Penn and Grand Central stations in Manhattan to complement East Side Access project for Long Island Railroad. Final plan to be selected by 2001. June 1999.   $2 billion funding approved by the Senate for proposed fourth rail line under the Hudson River as part of a $7 billion rail programme for Amtrak to upgrade high-speed rail corridors throughout the US. Three proposed options. Option G takes the new tunnel to New York's Penn station, and Grand Central for a cost of $4-$5 billion. Option P ends at Penn station and would cost $3 billion. Option S would take the tunnel to Penn station, and then to the Sunnyside rail yard in Queens for $4-$5 billion. Neither option P or S gets to the East side so that option G is considered the most attractive. 47/01.   The New Jersey Transit approved to undertake a $4.9 million environmental impact study for two one-way tunnels under the Hudson river. The new tunnel would link the Northeast Corridor line with Pennsylvania station in Manhattan, placing the parallel tunnels somewhere in the northern Hoboken-southern Weehawken area on the Hudson's west bank and midtown Manhattan to the east. The project is being undertaken in conjunction with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) which operates New York City's commuter trains and stations. The new tunnel would cost $5 billion.Visit www.njtransit.com and www.accesstotheregionscore.com 42/02.  The New Jersey Transit board awarded a $4.9 million contract to Parsons Brinckerhoff and Systra Consulting to begin environmental impact studies of a proposed new rail tunnel between New Jersey and Manhattan. The two firms plan to finish the study by 2005. The next step would be to secure $16 million in federal funding for engineering studies. The plan for the tunnel includes two one-way tubes under the Hudson River between the Hoboken-Weehawken border and the Chelsea section of Manhattan. The entire tunnel project is estimated to cost up to $5 billion, most of which would come from federal sources. The tunnel would likely take more than 10 years to complete. Visit www.njtransit.com, www.pbworld.com and www.systraconsulting.com 27/03.Congress will grant $5 million in federal funds to begin the studies for developing a new rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey. The funds will be included in the 2004 transportation appropriations bill. The project could cost as much as $5 billion. The $5 million initial appropriation will be used to produce a draft environmental impact statement, one of the first steps necessary to prepare for construction. New Jersey Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will coordinate the study. The new twin one-way tunnel would be designed to effectively double the number of commuter trains operating between midtown Manhattan and New Jersey. Visit www.njtransit.com 38/03.New Jersey Transit has solicited Expressions of Interest from design firms to provide professional engineering services for the preliminary engineering of the Trans-Hudson Express tunnel (THE tunnel). The Draft Environmental Impact Statement was issued to interested parties in January. The following three bidders have been shortlisted to receive the Request for Proposal for the THE tunnel: a JV of Atkins and Washington Group International, Hatch Mott MacDonald and a JV of Parsons Brinckerhoff, STV and DMJM Harris.New Jersey Transit hopes to have preliminary engineering completed during 2007, with the aim of having the link ready for revenue service in 2015. The winning bidder may also be invited to undertake overall design, project integration of all facets of the project, and/or one or more segments of final design, as well as construction assistance.The THE tunnel project will span New York and New Jersey and consists mainly of two single-track tunnels under the Palisades in New Jersey and the Hudson River connecting to a new eight-platform underground station under 34th Street and 7th Avenue as well as the existing Penn Station in New York City. Read E-News Weekly 35/2005, 51/2003 & 46/2002. Visit www.njtransit.com and www.accesstotheregionscore.com 14/06.The Trans-Hudson Express (THE) tunnel will start on the west side of Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen Township and continue under the Palisades and Hudson River to the new station under 34th Street between 6th and 8th Avenues in Manhattan. Each of the two tunnels will be approximately 6,100 m long. A connection from the new tunnels to the existing Pennsylvania Station is also included in the project. The external diameter is preliminarily anticipated to be 8.39 m. The interior diameter is preliminarily anticipated to be 7.47 m.The tunnels will be constructed through differing soil conditions. The sections under the Palisades and Manhattan will be bored through rock and the section under the Hudson River will be bored with a shielded machine through the anticipated softer ground conditions. Final cavern shaping will be done by drilling and blasting after rock boring is completed.Preliminary design of the project is anticipated to begin this summer and lining procedures, mucking procedures and construction methods will be advanced during this phase.The earliest construction bid advertisements are anticipated in mid to late 2008. Construction will begin following the bid and award period. Click us/21. Visit www.njtransit.com 15/06.A team of Parsons Brinckerhoff, CH2M Hill and ILF will design the proposed new rail line under the Hudson River. The new tunnel project is a needed improvement to the area's transportation system and will be linked to the railway system in New Jersey and to the subway system in Manhattan via a new station under 34th Street. Read E-News Weekly 33/2006. Visit www.pbworld.com, www.ch2m.com and www.ilf.com 48/06.NJ Transit's board on 13th December, 2006 approved hiring the CM Consortium of Newark for USD5 million as construction managers for the project to build a second Hudson River rail tunnel. The consortium is a joint venture of Tishman Construction, Parsons and Arup. The consortium will provide design oversight, make independent cost estimates, develop a master project schedule, and create a quality control plan. The consortium will oversee three engineering firms, named THE Partnership, who have already been awarded contracts in August to create preliminary designs for the proposed Hudson River commuter train tunnel and new Moynihan station. The project includes a new tunnel under the Palisades in New Jersey and the Hudson River to midtown Manhattan and an expanded rail station connected to the existing New York Penn station. Concept plans call for construction of two side-by-side, single-track tunnels of 6.6 km in length. NJ Transit hopes that construction on the projects could begin in 2009 and be completed by 2016. Visit www.tishmanconstruction.com, www.parsons.com and www.arup.com 03/07.THE Partnership, a joint venture that includes Parsons Brinckerhoff, STV Group and DMJM Harris and names itself as the Trans-Hudson Express (THE) Partnership, began preliminary design in August 2006 and will finish the work in about 13 months from now. Their contract is worth USD82.5 million. The THE tunnel is the centre piece of the USD6 billion Access to the Region's Core (ARC) project. Then, ARC will move into final design, the last pre-construction phase, assuming financing is in place to pay for the project. Click us/21. Visit www.pbworld.com, www.stvinc.com and www.dmjmharris.com 03/07.

The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) identified a shortlist of qualified teams who will receive an invitation to submit, deadline 30/06/2023, a proposal in response to a Request for Proposals (RFP) to serve as a Delivery Partner in connection with the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP). The Delivery Partner will provide key areas of support to help deliver the HTP. 

Shortlisted teams include:  

• Joint Venture of Bechtel-HNTB;  
• Hudson Delivery Partnership (Atkins North America, Inc., Arup US Inc., The McKissack Group, Inc.);  
• MPA Delivery Partners (Parsons Transportation Group of New York, Inc., Arcadis of New York, Inc., Mace North America Limited). 

The shortlisted teams are among those that submitted a Statement of Qualification (SOQ) earlier this month in response to a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) issued by GDC through the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak).  

Visit https://www.gatewayprogram.org/  and https://procurement.amtrak.com . Ref.n. X048-23093. 21/23.

  Monumental expansion programme to meet the future water needs of Las Vegas includes a lake tap shaft to depth 76 m beneath the lake surface to be bored from a barge; an intake tunnel in jointed and faulted metamorphic rock; 22 x 1.82 m-diameter pumping shafts bored from surface to the 100 m level; and a 3.65 m-diameter subaqueous concrete pipeline. Kiewit Construction has completed the 7.6 m-diameter access shaft to the 115 m level and the 792 m East tunnel has broken through using drill/blast supported by rockbolts and shotcrete at a rate of 6 m/day. Work progressing on the 502 m intake tunnel. Zeni Drilling has completed the first shaft. March 1999.   Atlas Copco 322 twin-boom and basket drilling 3.8 m holes for 2.5 m advance in intake tunnel. Mucking out by Wagner 3.5 Scooptrams. Support by fully-grouted Ingersoll Rand C-tube rockbolts of lengths to 3.8 m and 10 cm of fibre reinforced shotctrete. Forward grouting commenced after 250 m after water inflows of 600 gal/min were encountered. 25 m probe holes have been necessary. The well shafts are being pilot drilled blind to full depth using a reverse circulation rotary drillrig and then reamed to the 1.82 m final diameter to accommodate the 1.3 m diameter pumping columns. June 1999.  Zeni reported completion of all 22 well shafts, including casing and grouting. The bases of the well shafts have been exposed by a top heading through the forebay, and the bench is now underway to complete. Breakthrough of intake tunnel into shaft scheduled for late-November, 1999 and flooding of tunnel in January, 2000. November 1999.The Southern Nevada Water Authority has awarded a USD447 million contract to Impregilo and its US subsidiary S.A. Healy to design and build the so-called third straw to draw water from the Lake Mead reservoir. This is a concrete-lined tunnel 6 m in diameter and approx. 4.8 km long underneath the bed of Lake Mead. Construction should begin before the end of the year and eventually involve a massive tunnel boring machine that will be manufactured in Germany and shipped to the United States. The third straw is slated to go on line by early 2013. Visit www.impregilo.it and www.sahealy.comThe Lake Mead reservoir on the Colorado River behind Hoover Dam supplies about 90% of the water used in and around Las Vegas, but the lake level continues to drop in the face of an eight-year drought. The new intake will allow the authority to continue drawing water even if Lake Mead shrinks below the level of the two existing straws. One or both of the existing inlet pipes would be forced to shut down if the lake level falls below current intakes. Lake Mead is currently at a surface level of about 340 metres above sea level, or about 20 metres above the 320 m level of the original intake. A second intake draws water from 305 metres above sea level. It was completed in 2002, at a cost of about USD80 million. The third intake is expected to draw water from below a 275 m elevation. 13/08.The Southern Nevada Water Authority is also soliciting bids, deadline 21st April, 2008 for the Lake Mead intake No. 2 connection and modifications project (contract No. 070F 05 C1). The proposed underground works include connection to the existing intake tunnel and modifications to the existing intake structure, including but not limited to a 6.7 m-diameter 116 m-deep shaft, a ventilated building over the top of the shaft, a 4.3 m-wide by 4.9 m-high by 82 m-long modified horse shoe tunnel from shaft to existing IPS-2 tunnel, 4.3 m-wide by 4.9 m-high by 76 m-long modified horse shoe tunnel connection to the future tunnel from intake No. 3, and existing IPS-2 intake modifications. Visit www.snwa.com/nonpvcs/construction_ops/inv/070F05C1.pdf 13/08.Further technical details are available regarding the Lake Mead intake No. 3 shafts and tunnel project, recently awarded to Vegas Tunnel Constructors, a joint venture of Impregilo and S.A. Healy. The tunnel will primarily be excavated in late Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic bedrock. Of the 4,666 m-long intake tunnel, about 300 metres will be excavated in the Saddle Island Lower Plate (amphibolites, schist, and gneiss) and about 370 metres in the Saddle Island Upper Plate (schist, amphibolites, gneiss, pegmatite, dacite intrusives). The majority of the tunnel drive (about 3,540 metres) is located in the Muddy Creek formation (conglomerate, breccias, sandstone, siltstone and gypsiferous mudstone). As the TBM approaches the intake riser, it will pass through about 370 metres of red sandstone, and the final 90 metres will be in the Callville Mesa basalt.Except for an erection chamber and starter tunnel that will be excavated by drill and blast, the tunnel will be excavated by a Herrenknecht convertible hybrid tunnel boring machine. The TBM, in open mode, will evacuate the spoils by screw conveyor feeding a continuous tunnel conveyor. The continuous tunnel conveyor will feed two muck skips that are hoisted up the intake access shaft and then moved to a stockpile on site. In closed mode, the screw conveyor is retracted from the cutterhead and the TBM functions in fully slurry mixshield mode, utilizing a separation plant. The tunnel will be supported by a precast, bolted, gasketed tunnel lining with five plus a key segments. Inside diameter will be 6.1 m, and the segment ring will be 1.83 m long. Visit www.herrenknecht.comOther underground structures include the 180 m-deep intake access shaft with cast-in-place concrete liner with inside diameter of 9 m, excavated by drill and blast. A stub tunnel approximately 26 m long will be excavated by drill and blast at depth of about 110 metres to provide a connection to the future pump station. At the bottom of the shaft will be a large TBM erection chamber, starter tunnel, and tail tunnel that will provide the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) with an option for a future tie-in and water transmission. The intake riser will be constructed in Lake Mead at a depth of 90-107 m below the lake surface. Lake-bottom excavation will be by underwater drilling and blasting. The intake riser will be constructed by sunken tube technology and will provide a docking station for the TBM.The construction manager is Parsons Water and Infrastructure. SNWA’s design engineer is MW/Hill, a joint venture of Montgomery Watson and CH2M Hill. The contractor’s design engineer is Arup USA, with Brierley Associates. Visit www.snwa.com, www.parsons.com/about/bus_unit/gbu/water, www.mwhglobal.com, www.ch2m.com, www.arup.com and www.brierleyassociates.com 15/08.