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. 

$100 million project involving 4.12 km-long x 4.12 m i.d. North Dorchester Bay and 830 m-long x 4.12 m i.d. Reserved Channel CSO consolidation conduits to be constructed mainly in glacial outwash sands and Boston Blue Clay at depths of 8 m to 17.5 m for MWRA. Tunnels to be constructed from large diameter shafts and connections with existing CSO outfalls to be made by drop shafts. Visit www.pbworld.com August 2000.The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority approved a USD300 million project which includes a 3.4 km 5.2 m-diameter tunnel near the shoreline in Dorchester and south Boston to collect the mix of storm water and sewage and hold it for processing. It also includes an odour control station at Carson Beach and a pumping station to be built at Conley Terminal in south Boston. If approved by state environmental officials, the project plans a "Little Dig" under Day Boulevard and Columbia Road, with a TBM burrowing the tunnel through soft ground. The tunnel is expected to start processing water when the station is completed in 2011. The plan is designed to close a gap in the USD4.5 billion Boston Harbour cleanup. Rain can overwhelm the city's combined system of storm drains and sewers, pushing untreated waste straight into the harbour. Visit www.mwra.state.ma.us 17/04.The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) on 19th July, 2006 awarded a USD145.7 million contract for the construction of a 5.2 m-diameter, 3,380 m-long tunnel in South Boston that will virtually eliminate combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and stormwater discharges to the beaches in South Boston. The contractor, a joint venture of Shank / Balfour Beatty / Barletta, will construct the North Dorchester Bay CSO storage tunnel in soft ground using a pressurized face TBM. The work will include a mining shaft at the downstream end of the tunnel, an equipment removal shaft at the upstream end of the tunnel, six intermediate drop shafts at the existing CSO outfalls, CSO and stormwater diversion and odour control structures, and associated shallow piping and utility conduits. The tunnel is expected to be completed in 2009. Visit www.balfourbeatty.com and www.mwra.state.ma.us 31/32/06.A JV team led by Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM) will provide construction management services for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority's North Dorchester Bay CSO storage tunnel project, which forms part of a programme to eliminate CSO discharges into North Dorchester Bay in South Boston. The project will include an approximately 3,380 m-long, 5.2 m inside diameter tunnel. Start of construction is anticipated in late 2006. Visit www.hatchmott.com and www.mwra.state.ma.us 31-32/06.

Twin bore, four-lane, subaqueous road tunnel in design to connect Port of Miami Dodge Island to Route I-95 beneath part of the Intracoastal Waterway. Probable EPB job requiring one machine. Moving to final design and awaiting funding. Visit www.mrtunnel.com for more detailed information. March 2000.  Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) has been awarded the contract to act as owner's representative in the development of a cost-effective programme to link the Port of Miami with interstate highways I-395 and I-95. The project, which will provide improved port access for trucks and cruise passengers, consists of roadway approaches and two 3,000 ft-long (915 m) two-lane tunnels crossing under the main shipping channel between the MacArthur Causeway on Watson Island and the Port of Miami on Dodge Island, all located in Biscayne Bay.The tunnel will take heavy traffic off the streets of downtown Miami, thereby eliminating a source of congestion. Watson Island is a rapidly developing island in Biscayne Bay that is crossed by the MacArthur Causeway connecting downtown Miami to Miami Beach. Dodge Island is the home of the Port of Miami's cruise and cargo terminals. The cruise terminal is the largest, busiest cruise port in the world, serving over 3.6 million passengers in 2002.The project will be performed in several phases, the first of which is to re-evaluate the original study completed in 2000, including the alternatives of immersed tube or bored tunnel. Visit www.pbworld.com 51/03.Request for qualifications (RFQ), deadline 17th March, 2006 for a public-private partnership (PPP) concession sought by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to develop, design, construct, finance, operate and maintain the Port of Miami tunnel project. A shortlist of no more than four qualified bidders will be selected by FDOT in April. Those shortlisted will receive the Request for Proposals in mid June. Award of the project to the winning bidder is expected in December 2006. This is believed to be the first attempt at using PPP financing in the US market for this class of transportation infrastructure. FDOT is using Jeffrey A Parker & Associates and Asesores de Infraestructuras as joint financial advisers. Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas is the appointed consulting engineer. The project will link Interstate 395 and the MacArthur Causeway on Watson Island with Port of Miami facilities on Dodge Island. Read E-News Weekly 46/2004, 45/2003 & 13/2003. Visit www.portofmiamitunnel.com/Documents/06-0216-RFQ-Final.pdf 10/06.The Florida Department of Transportation is extending the deadline to 12th April, 2006 for submission of Requests of Qualifications (RFQ) for its Port of Miami tunnel project, through which it intends to select a candidate that will design, finance, build, operate and maintain the Port of Miami tunnel. The Florida Department of Transportation is also releasing a supplement to its Project Information Memorandum (PIM) which has been provided to help prospective bidders understand the project as well as the state transportation agency's approach to it. The PIM is not a binding document and information within it may change as aspects of the project become further refined. Prospective bidders can obtain the RFQ, RFQ addenda and PIM supplement on the project website www.portofmiamitunnel.com 14/06.The three shortlisted consortia by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for the Port of Miami tunnel are FCC Construccion and Morgan Stanley, including FCC, Morgan Stanley, Hatch Mott MacDonald and Edwards & Kelcey; Miami Access Tunnel, with Bouygues Travaux Publics and Dutch bank ABN Amro; and Miami Mobility Group, including Dragados Concesiones de Infraestructuras and its subsidiary Dragados USA, Brazil's Odebrecht Investimentos em Infra-Estructura, its subsidiary Odebrecht Construction, and US companies Parsons Transportation Group and DMJM Harris.The three consortia will be requested to submit their financial and technical bids next June. The winner of the tender will be disclosed in December. The project, estimated at USD1 billion, is to design, build, finance and operate the tunnel, which will provide a direct access between Dodge Island and interstate highways I-395 and I-95 and offer an alternative to the port bridge which is currently the unique connection. The project, which is expected to be completed in 2012, will be developed using a public-private partnership (PPP) concession. Click us/43. Visit www.portofmiamitunnel.com/Documents/Shortlisted-firms.pdf 19/06.Technical bids from the three construction firms competing to design, finance, construct, operate and maintain the tunnel connecting Watson Island to the Port of Miami-Dade were unveiled on 3rd April, 2007. The lowest of the three ''maximum availability payments'' (MAPs) - maximum yearly costs based on the construction firm meeting specific goals - was USD33.2 million a year from Miami Access Tunnel including Bouygues Travaux Publics and their Canadian financing partners, Babcock & Brown Infrastructure Group US, which said it would take 47 months to build the tunnel. That was followed by a 50-month construction plan with yearly payments of USD39.7 million from Miami Mobility Group including Spain's ACS Infrastructure Development, Dragados USA, Brazil's Odebrecht Construction, Parsons Transportation Group, and DMJM Harris. The high MAP came from Spain's FCC Construccií³n, Morgan Stanley investment bank, Hatch Mott MacDonald and Edwards & Kelcey at USD63.2 million. That company said it could complete the project in 42 months.The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will pay the winning team USD100 million based on milestones during the 42 to 50-month construction phase and the remainder after completion, when the first truck rumbles through the tunnel. The winning firm will be required to finance the project, then be repaid by FDOT and the Miami-Dade County over a 35-year period.The tunnel project would run from the west end of the MacArthur Causeway, burrow under Watson Island, cut across Government Cut and pop up at the port. The plan still needs Miami-Dade County commission approval to move forward. Construction could begin as early as next spring. Read E-News Weekly 11/2007, 35/2005 & 46/2004. Visit www.portofmiamitunnel.com 16/07.The Florida Department of Transportation selected on 2nd May, 2007 Miami Access Tunnel, a consortium headed by the French construction giant Bouygues Publics Travaux, global investment bankers Babcock & Brown, Jacobs Engineering and Australian transport operators Transfield Services to finance, design, build and operate the Port of Miami tunnel. The team will be repaid by the state of Florida and local governments under a 35-year concession agreement that could be negotiated later this year. The tunnel is designed to improve access to the port from the expressway and remove thousands of trucks from the street grid near the downtown core where high-rise condos, museums, parks and cultural centres are emerging.A lot of variables still need to be hashed out, especially local governments' part in the financing, but under a couple of best-case scenarios, the tunnel could be under construction by next year and open in 2012. The state is waiting for Miami-Dade County and the city of Miami to firmly guarantee they will cumulatively pay around USD450 million for their half of the construction and a major contingency fund out of existing gas and growth-management taxes, bonds and port fees. Click us/43. Visit www.portofmiamitunnel.com 19/07.The consortium Miami Access Tunnel was chosen in May, 2007 by Florida Department of Transportation to finance, design, build and operate the Port of Miami tunnel, a project that has been mooted since March, 2000, see tunnelbuilder archive us/43. On 12.12.2008 DBOT decided not to close this deal after consortium member Babcock & Brown failed to raise the necessary finance, visit www.portofmiamitunnel.com. This project will now probably be rebid. 08/09.

  Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority appraising bids for design/build of tunnels and deep stations from Convention Place to 45th St station. Prequalified bidders are Modern Transit Constructors (Modern Continental/SA Healy/Impregilo/Hochtief/Parsons/Robison); Obayashi (Obayashi/Atkinson/Jacobs); Puget Link Constructors (Traylor/Shea/Frontier-Kemper); and Puget Sound Constructors (Hatch Mott MacDonald/Sverdrup/Sauer/Golder). March 2000.   The design/build contract for the Puget Sound tunnels and deep stations will be bid in late February 2000. Prequalified joint ventures are: Modern Transit Constructors (Modern Continental, S.A.Healy/Impregilo, Hochtief Ag, Parsons Transportation Group and Robison Construction); Obayashi (Obayashi Corp., Atkinson Construction, with Jacobs Associates Design Consultant); Puget Link Constructors (Traylor Bros. Inc., J.F. Shea Co. Inc., Frontier Kemper Constructors Inc.); Puget Sound Constructors, LLC and Hatch Mott McDonald-Sverdrup JV design consultant, Dr. G. Sauer- design sub consultant and Golder Associates- Geotechnical Sub consultant). March 2000. The Obayashi/Atkinson team is reported to have dropped out, and it is reliably reported that there are only two remaining of the four prequalified teams that were competing for this design/build project. June 2000. Modern Transit Constructors has been chosen as contractor-elect to design and build the 7.2 km-long Central Link light rail tunnel in Seattle, WA. The contract will be for the twin-bore tunnels only and does not include trackwork, signals and power. Negotiations are proceeding with Modern Transit Constructors with a view to awarding the contract by early-November. The joint venture is led by Modern Continental, with S A Healy, Impregilo, Parsons Transportation, Robison and Dumez-GTM. The runner-up team, Puget Link Construction comprises Traylor Brothers, J.F. Shea, Frontier-Kemper and Atkinson Construction, with Hatch Mott McDonald-Sverdrup JV as design consultant and Golder Associates as geotechnical subconsultant. Visit www.soundtransit.org Sept 2000.Negotiations with Modern Transit Constructors, a consortium headed by Modern Continental Construction Co. Cambridge, MA, with S.A. Healy, McCook, IL; Impregilo, Italy; Dumez-GTM, France; Parsons Transportation Group, Pasadena, CA and Roison Construction Group, Sumner, WA are reported to have been suspended due to potential cost overruns. The proposed design-build subway tunnel was more than $200 million over the Transit Agency budget estimate of $557 million. The board will study new options on construction methods to reduce cost. Visit www.soundtransit.org and www.moderncontinental.com December 2000.There are two bids to build a light rail tunnel through Beacon Hill as part of contract 710 of the 22.4 km initial segment from Convention Place in downtown Seattle to Tukwila. However, the lowest bid from Obayashi is USD280 million, USD41 million higher than Sound Transit's USD239 million estimate. The other bid is from Kiewit and its partners Traylor, Frontier Kemper and Beton und Monierbau in Beacon Hill Constructors with USD305 million. The project includes the entire tunnel and station complex, consisting of a 15.24 m-diameter main shaft to house the elevators leading to the concourse tunnel connecting a 5.75 m-inner diameter 1.6 km twin tunnel, a 9 m-diameter auxillary shaft to house emergency stairs, a ventilation adit, cross passages, surface buildings, architectural finishings, landscaping, mechanical and electrical work, elevators, ventilation fans, etc., except systems work (power supply and communications, etc.). The contract also includes the adjacent McClellan station (aerial station and aerial guideway at the east portal and aerial guideway at the west portal). A 30 m-deep shaft has been sunk to investigate the Beacon Hill tricky glacial soils. Contract to be awarded by end of May or June 2004 for start of station excavation at fall 2004 and start of tunnel boring with EPB TBMs in 2005. Subscribe to E-News Weekly 30/2003 & 13/2003. Visit www.soundtransit.org 22/04.Sound Transit has awarded URS Corporation a three-year contract to provide construction management services for the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) project. The project is part of the 22.5 km Central Link. The light rail will travel under downtown, sharing the 13-year-old tunnel with buses. The 2.1 km tunnel was built with rails for future light rail. However, they need to be insulated from the ground, and the roadbed is 15.2 cm too high to accommodate trains and newer buses. The tunnel will remain closed for two years for a retrofit that includes a new short cut-and-cover "stub tunnel" at Pine Street where trains can stop and turn around. All the buses that now use the tunnel will return to the surface during construction. URS will manage the DSTT retrofit totalling approximately USD60 to USD80 million in construction. Other work includes upgrades and improvements to the mechanical, electrical, fire, and safety systems, a state-of-the-art communications system, and a new integrated signalling system for both buses and trains. Construction is scheduled for completion in June 2007. Read E-News Weekly 22/2004. Visit www.urscorp.com and www.soundtransit.org 23/04.Balfour Beatty Construction bid USD82.7 million to retrofit the 2.1 km downtown Seattle bus tunnel for joint rail-bus use, which is nearly USD11 million (12%) less than Sound Transit's estimate. The contract, which includes construction of a short, dead-end tunnel under Pine Street, is a major component of Sound Transit's 22.5 km light rail line from downtown Seattle to Tukwila. Preliminary work on the new Pine Street stub tunnel between Seventh and Terry avenues could start in about four months. That tunnel will provide space for trains to turn around. The entire tunnel project is estimated to take 21 months. Visit www.soundtransit.org and www.balfourbeatty.com 30/04.Northlink Transit Partners, a joint venture of Earth Tech, HNTB, and Jacobs Associates, was awarded a USD38.9 million contract by Sound Transit for the final design of the University Link light rail extension. The 5.1 km extension will run in tunnel from Westlake station to the University of Washington, with stations at Capitol Hill and on the UW campus near Husky Stadium. The final design project includes a tunnel crossing under the Lake Washington Ship Canal between Portage Bay and Union Bay. Earth Tech's responsibilities will include providing project control systems, managing the design of the two rail stations, tunnel ventilation, mechanical and electrical systems. The project is expected to take two years to complete. Construction is scheduled to begin at fall 2008, with service starting in 2016. Read E-News Weekly 50/2006, 24/2004 & 13/2003. Visit www.soundtransit.org/x1171.xml, www.earthtech.com, www.hntb.com and www.jacobssf.com 03/07.Jacobs Engineering Group announced that the Seattle Tunnel and Rail Team (START), a joint venture between Jacobs and CH2M Hill, has been selected to receive a construction management services contract from Sound Transit to extend light rail service to connect the region's three most densely populated urban centres in Washington state (downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill/First Hill and the University district). The 5.1 km project entails constructing two parallel tunnels that run northward from Westlake to the University of Washington, with stations at Capitol Hill and on the University of Washington campus near Husky Stadium. It is anticipated that the new addition will start operation in 2016 and add 70,000 daily riders to the regional light rail system. Visit www.jacobs.com, www.ch2m.com and www.soundtransit.org/x1171.xml 29/08.Initial contract for site preparation on University Link awarded to West Coast contractor Condon-Johnson & Associates, www.condon-johnson.com/seattle/, value EUR13.93 million. Contact Eric Dybevik, tel +1 206 575 8248, e-mail edybevik@condon-johnson.com. Meantime, voter approval gained for 58 km-long expansion of Link light rail system with 19 stations including 20 km extension north from University of Washington to Lynnwood with underground stations at Brooklyn and Roosevelt. Contact Jeff Munnoch jeff.munnoch@soundtransit.org or visit www.soundtransit.org. 52/08.

  The 10.1 km North Hollywood section of L A metro will open this month, adding three stations to the system at Hollywood/Highland, Universal City, and North Hollywood, bringing the subway length to 28 km with 16 stations. The running tunnels were excavated in two contracts by Traylor/Frontier Kemper and Obayashi, and two of the stations were constructed by Tutor Saliba, while the terminus station at North Hollywood was completed by Kajima. Construction management was supplied by Hatch Mott MacDonald and Parsons Engineering, who brought the project in almost on time and within budget. June 2000.Optional routes for USD5-7 billion metro extension are 19.2 km from Purple Line Wilshire/Western along Wilshire Blvd or 20 km from Red Line Hollywood/Highland along Santa Monica Blvd. Awaiting decision on routing before raising finance. Visit www.metro.net or take a virtual tour at www.metrovr.net/metro/. 08/09.

    Major scheme to provide 650 million gal/day of water for Southern California. 29 km of 12 ft finished diameter tunnels under construction by Shank/Balfour Beatty in three lots: Arrowhead West (6.2 km), Arrowhead East (9.6 km), and Riverside Badlands (13.2 km). Arrowhead East has advanced 2.55 km using contractors own 5.6 m-diameter TBM and similar machines under erection at Arrowhead West and Riverside Badlands. Extensive grouting programme undertaken to reduce water inflow. Project completion scheduled for December, 2003. Sept 1999.   These tunnels cross both the San Andreas and San Manuel faults. Pre-excavation grouting using microcements was being carried out ahead of the TBMs, and backfill grouting around the carrier pipe in the completed tunnels was planned. However, despite the injection of 1,250 t of cut-off grout, which reduced the water inflow from 1,400 gal/min to 275 gal/min, Arrowhead East tunnel has been closed down after completing 2.5 km of drive. Arrowhead West is also closed for similar reasons, and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has replaced the management and is considering options for realignment of both tunnels or their abandonment and replacement by pipeline. Riverside Badlands tunnel is unaffected, but it is reported that the Parsons Brinckerhoff construction management team has been replaced by a team from Hatch Mott McDonald. January 2000.   Shank/Balfour Beatty reports good progress on Riverside Badlands tunnel, the only one of their original three contracts that is still in place, Arrowhead East and West having been terminated due to unforeseen groundwater conditions. An average of 52 m/day is being achieved and the 12.8 km-long x 4.8 m-diameter tunnel is nearly half-complete. Bechtel and Jacobs Associates are redesigning the Arrowhead tunnels for re-bid later this year. Visit www.jacobssf.com and www.balfourbeatty.com June 2000.   MWD prequalifying bidders on the Arrowhead East and West projects in San Bernardino. This project was halted by water intrusion in excess of specs with contractor Shank Balfour Beatty J/V paid for work performed and anticipated profit. Visit www.jacobssf.com December 2000.  The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has awarded to J.F. Shea Construction a $242.2 million contract to drill two tunnels, stretching a total of 12.5 km, under the San Bernardino National Forest. The Arrowhead west tunnel is 5.8 km, the Arrowhead east tunnel is 6.6 km. Finished diameter of 3.6 m. Geology consisting of gneissic metamorphic rock, quartz monzonite, quartz dioride and several faults and fissures. Two TBMs will be required, the maker has yet to be chosen by the contractor. Bolted and gasketed segmental lining, reinforced concrete cylinder pipe. Portal preparatory work will probably begin as early as 100 days. Tunnelling to begin in about a year and will be completed by the second quarter of 2007. Engineering companies involved are San Francisco-based Jacobs and Associates as designer, and Hatch Mott McDonald as construction managers. Financing with pay-as-you-go capital funds and bonds. Visit www.mwdH2O.com and www.jfshea.com 16/02.Breakthrough took place end of July 2001 on the 12.9 km tunnel beneath the Badlands mountain range in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. 16/02.

  $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.

  Part of the No 3 water tunnel scheme that involves excavation of 93 km of deep tunnels. Grow/Perini/Skanska completing final 1,500 m of this 7.9 km x 7.06 m-diameter drive in extremely hard granite and gneiss up to 275 MPa with igneous intrusions and abrasivity in the range 3.3 to 4.3 on the Cherchar abrasivity index. Robbins HP TBM 235-282 giving around 1.8 m/h advance in this rock, but frequent cutter changes distort the overall performance. March 1999.  De Neef reports success by Perini, Grow, Kiewit jv using polyurethane chemical grout injection to stem 200 gpm inflows which trapped TBM. Large diameter holes were drilled and equipped with 1.8 m-long mechanical downhole packers to facilitate stage grouting using Hydro-Active Cut with a high dose of accelerator. More details from www.deneef.com February 2000.Camp Dresser & McKee and Hatch Mott MacDonald jv is providing engineering services for replacement of two existing siphons crossing New York harbour between Staten Island and Brooklyn by 1.9 m-diameter pipeline within 3.8 m-diameter, 3.2 km-long tunnel bored by EPB or slurry TBM. Final design with bids scheduled for mid-2009. Visit www.hatchmott.com/contentpages/pagecontent.aspx and www.cdm.com. 08/09.