NYMTA completes third East Side Access tunnel

The third of four East Side Access tunnels was completed Tuesday, seven weeks ahead of schedule, when a 642-ton tunnel boring machine rolled to a halt underneath Sunnyside Yard in Queens, the New York MTA announced Thursday.

MTA said the tunneling machine, named Tess by sixth graders in Long Island City (Queens), will be entombed underground until the tunnel can be connected to the busy Long Island Rail Road Main Line tracks above.

MTA described the size and challenge of the work and its ultimate goal (perhaps keeping in mind those critics of the project who recently alleged it was behind schedule and over budget}:

“In digging this eastbound tunnel, Tess excavated 875,169 cubic feet of soil as it built the 2,200-foot-long, 22.5-foot diameter tunnel. Digging in soft earth in Queens is unlike building tunnels in Manhattan bedrock. The machines in Queens build the concrete tunnel walls as they progress, giving the tunnels shape and strength at the same time that they excavate the ground out from underneath busy railroad tracks. Tess installed 441 precast concrete segmental rings.

“Trains using this tunnel will be traveling eastbound from Grand Central Terminal toward long Island. They will use it to merge onto the LIRR Main Line eastbound tracks that lead to Jamaica and Port Washington. The machine began building the tunnel on March 26, 2011.”

“We are delighted to complete this important milestone,” said MTA Chairman Joseph J. Lhota. “Each piece of the project that we bring in ahead of schedule means we can dedicate resources to those parts of the project that most need attention.”