FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE05-46
October
31, 2005
Contact:
Charles G. Sturcken
(718) 595-6600
Construction
of City Tunnel No. 3 Approaches Milestones Ensuring Improved
Water Delivery and Quality For New Yorkers
DEP
commences a 2 to 3 month blasting project to construct shafts
and chambers in 3 Manhattan locations
DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd announced today that progress is
being made on Tunnel No. 3 construction, and in particular, on
the Manhattan section that runs from the far west side of Manhattan
to the Holland Tunnel and curves around north to the lower east
side. Construction of the Manhattan leg of the tunnel began
in October 2003.
“We are entering a phase that requires DEP to construct
several shafts and chambers along an underground portion of the
Manhattan section of the tunnel,” said Commissioner Lloyd. “Shafts
serve as conduits for tunnel water to be delivered to local distribution
mains,” continued the Commissioner. “The shaft
sites are located on East 4th Street between Lafayette Street and
Cooper Square; at Hudson and Laight Streets; and Amsterdam Avenue
and West 60th Street. It will be necessary to do some initial
blasting at these locations.”
Tunnel No. 3 is one of the largest and most complex capital construction
projects in New York City history and has often been referred to
as one of the world’s engineering marvels. Since 1998
and the completion of Stage 1 of the Tunnel, it has been delivering
water through the Bronx, down Manhattan across Central Park and
into Astoria Queens. By 2009 the Brooklyn/Queens leg will
be activated, and it is expected that the lower Manhattan portion
will begin delivering water by 2012. The capacity of these three
legs will provide drinking water from Tunnel No. 3 to parts of
all of the City’s five boroughs, forming a firm backup to
the water supply system. When the tunnel is completed in
2020, it will ensure the dependability of the City’s drinking
water supply well into the next Century.
“This is one of our City’s most significant public
works projects,” said Commissioner Lloyd. “We
have been able to greatly accelerate the time frame by using a
tunnel boring machine for excavation. It is a massive piece
of machinery that is lowered into the tunnel piece by piece and
chips away at the bedrock through the continuous rotation of a
series of steel cutters, thereby excavating the tunnel in a safer
and faster way than ever before. “
Commissioner Lloyd pointed out that “despite our use of
modern-day equipment certain production methods remain standard
in construction projects, and in order to enlarge the shaft to
its desired diameter, drill-and-blast procedure must still be used. When
a shaft is completed, it is closed and covered, and becomes become
part of the streetscape.”
In an effort to be a good neighbor DEP notifies local residents
and community boards prior to blasting; places ads in local papers
in advance of blasting, and uses the safest and most modern blasting
methods available.
Commissioner Lloyd went on to say that, “We do understand
that the blasting can still be disruptive for local residents,
and we do our best to keep it to a minimum. We ask the public
for your patience as we work to continue bringing you the safe
and reliable drinking water you currently enjoy.”