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[UPDATE: VIDEO BELOW] That big beautiful specimen you see dangling behind our mayor is the front part of what will be a 100-ton tunnel boring machine, or "TBM," as they say in the boring biz. Today workers lowered the "cutter head" part of the TBM into a "launch chamber" hole near the intersection of 25th Street and 11th Avenue, where come spring they'll begin drilling two 7,100-foot long tunnels to Times Square as part of the long-awaited 7 train extension.
This totally bad-ass cutter head measures 22-feet in diameter and has forty-four rotating discs. Officials say the TBM will start boring sometime around the end of April, to be followed by a second TBM one month later, in mid-May. Each TBM will place pre-cast concrete lining rings, 1,890 in total, along the tunnel as it excavates; the lining rings make up the permanent liner of the finished tunnel. They're scheduled to finish the required excavation in the spring of 2010, at which time the follow-on work will begin, with the new service opening in December 2013. You can set your watch to it!
In a statement, Governor Paterson explained that "by extending the Number 7 line to 34th Street and 11th Avenue, we are introducing a vital lifeline to one of our city’s least developed areas. As we fight to restore confidence and prosperity in the markets, it is crucial that we promote the economic potential of the new Far West Side." And Bloomberg hopes the $2.1 billion project will help transform the Hudson Yards vicinity into "a vibrant 24-hour neighborhood." Who knows when that will ever happen, but it at least sounds better than a Jets stadium.
And here's a neat video all about the TBM. (Thanks, Kyle T.)
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The History Channel has a series called "Sandhogs" that has been covering various New York area capital construction projects, including the new aqueduct, East Side Access and the 7 Line Expansion.
It's on iTunes for $1.99 an episode and recommended for construction and transit geeks.
7 train or not I never plan on living on the Far West Side, but it's atrocious that they're only making one station in 7,100 feet of track.
Not having enough money to build a 2nd station was cited as the reason, yet when the project goes over budget and the train doesn't launch until 2015, I'm sure they'll manage to find another billion dollars to keep the project afloat. At least make something useful with extra money and stop pretending like $2.1 billion is all you need.
PS, love Sandhogs.
In this picture, it looks like Scott Stringer either crashed the event and brought his own helmet and vest, or he was given the shitty equipment because Bloomberg hates him. I'd like to see that giant cutter head mow down that whole first row of self-serving politicians. Scott Stringer should be spared ... for now.
Rad video with the details of this machine!
http://vodpod.com/watch/168082-tbm-tunnel-boring-machine-tnel-ama-makineleri
Great video Kyle T -- thanks!
oh that poor bastid,
he wasn't invited to any reindeer games.
and, what the heck is quinn doing with her hands.
Dang! I read it quickly as "Massive Head Cutter", hoping this odd assembly of megalomaniacs, ambitious clowns, second-stringers & other utterly unnecessary, but well-compensated fools was about to be dispatched in a blood bath. Perhaps next time...
Who knew Rosie O'Donnell's proctologist had a spare?
Wow, that's huge! I wonder if that's what I saw being trucked down Broadway the other day on a massive block long truck, with a whole convoy of backup and front up trucks keeping it away from general traffic.