Tunnelers Finish NYC Project With TBM Revived After Superstorm Sandy
The Robbins Company Completed Difficult Refurb Underground
Workers with a New York City tunnelers union recently celebrated the completion of a project that many thought wouldn’t finish with a tunnel boring machine that flooded out during Superstorm Sandy.
The New York City Harbor Siphons Project completed by a TBM dubbed “Pat” is a 1.8-mile long tunnel between Brooklyn and Staten Island. Subcontractor Tully/OHL USA JV brought in the 12.5-foot TBM, a Caterpillar model, in 2012 to tackle the mix of clays, sands, rocks and boulders running the length of the route. Pat launched from a shaft on Staten Island in August of that year, bound for an exit shaft in Brooklyn.