Kenny/Kiewit/Shea sinking 9.1 m x 94 m-deep working shaft and 10.6 m x 97 m-deep gate shaft and will commence 10.4 km tunnel in April, 1999 using 8.32 m Robbins TBM upsized and modified from recently-completed Des Plaines project. 2.5 km x 4.57 m second tunnel will be started later. Completion November, 2002. All part of the ongoing TARP megaproject. March 1999.   10.5 km mainline drive north underway by Kenny/Kiewit/Shea using 8.7 m-diameter refurbished Robbins hardrock TBM. Second 5.7 m-diameter Robbins working on two 1.27 km spurs, and three Lovat TBMs will be employed later. Sept 1999.   8.7 m Robbins breaking records, having achieved a best month of 1.6 km and best day of 97 m. All rock is being sold from surface plant. Second Robbins underway and first of three Lovat TBMs will start in early-2000. November 1999.   Groundbreaking ceremony took place in Calumet City for the Little Calumet Leg, a 7.9 mile (12.7 km) tunnel, 15 feet (4.6 m) in diameter, which is the last leg of the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) or Deep Tunnel involving more than 100 miles of tunnels. Tunnel construction is to end in March 2006. Construction of TARP began in 1976. The cost of the 93 miles (150 km) of tunnel completed so far has been about $2 billion. Two reservoirs to hold billions of gallons of storm water and raw sewage still need to be built. The entire project is expected to be operational in 2014. Visit www.mwrdgc.dst.il.us/plants/tarp.htm and www.epa.gov/25water/tarp 25/02. The Jay Dee/Affholder JV started tunnelling in mid-February on the final tunnel segment of the District's Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) after months of preparatory work including the excavation of a 10.4 m-diameter 60 m-deep shaft to the tunnel level. This 12.7 km (7.9 mile) tunnel, known as the Little Calumet Leg, serves a 38.6 sq km (14.9 sq mile) area of southern Cook County preventing Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) from spilling into the Little Calumet River. The tunnel will be driven through limestone at a depth of approximately 46 to 91 m (150 to 300 feet) below ground through the use of a Robbins TBM. Electric motors on the TBM turn a 5,537 mm (18' 2") diameter cutting head that is steered and thrust forward by hydraulic cylinders to cut through the rock. The excavated rock is brought to the surface via conveyor belts. The $168.7 million contract was awarded in January 2002 and is scheduled for completion in March 2006. Upon completion of this segment, the TARP system will consist of a total of 176 km (109.4 miles) of tunnels. Visit www.mwrdgc.dst.il.us/default.html and www.robbinstbm.com 11/03.The Robbins Company reports record progress by Affholder on the 12.8 km-long Little Calumet leg of Chicago's 175 km-long TARP project. Their 5.56 m-diameter TBM is driving the CSO tunnel in two sections from a 60 m-deep central launch shaft through limestone with a compressive strength of 83-96 Mpa. The Robbins TBM Model 1410-251-2 has seven 450 hp (335.6 kW) motors driving the cutter head, which is fitted with 39 wedgelock 19 in (483 mm) cutters. Best advances: 45.75 m/8h shift; 116.7 m/day; and 474.7 m/week. Most rock excavated in 24 h is 2,836.55 cu m. Robbins supplied the TBM, back up, extensible main conveyor, vertical shaft conveyor, surface conveyor, and stacker. More from robyj@robbinstbm.com or visit www.robbinstbm.com 22/03.