MTA Capital Construction awards LIRR tunneling contract
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefThe Long Island Rail Road’s $6.5 billion East Side Access Project reached another milestone Tuesday with the award of a $659 million contract covering what is known as the Queens Bored Tunnels and Structures phase. The joint venture of Granite Construction Northeast Inc., Traylor Bros., and Frontier-Kemper Constructors, Inc. received a "full notice to proceed" as part of the contract.
MTA Capital Construction Co.said this phase will provide the last major link in the tunnels from Queens to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. When completed, riders will have a direct route from Long Island and eastern Queens to Manhattan’s East Side.
The new contract covers the excavation and the precast concrete lining of four bored tunnels beneath an active rail storage yard. Totaling over 10,000 linear feet or nearly two miles in length and approximately 22 feet in diameter, the tunneling will utilize two 500-ton boring machines. The work also includes three emergency exits, underpinning of existing bridges, and demolition of various railyard buildings. Work is to begin immediately and is estimated to take 42 months to complete.
