Herrenknecht has shown off one of its seasoned tunnel boring machines (TBM) after its latest round of refurbishment.
The Phoenix is a TBM that’s lived more lives than most – and has earned its nickname for a reason.
Launched in 2020 during Herrenknecht’s I-75 modernisation project in Detroit, this machine started as a single shield TBM.
After it encountered an unexpected sand lens in 2021, it was nearly lost – but thanks to an emergency recovery shaft, it was saved, rebuilt underground, and reborn as an EPB shield.
Following a successful finish in Detroit, it was fully refurbished in Livonia, Michigan, by Jay Dee Contractors and Herrenknecht teams, and sent to Chicago for its next mission under O’Hare Airport.
There, it tunnelled 2.45km under two active runways – a feat of precision and logistics.
Now, the TBM is being removed and prepped for a new short project in Detroit: the NOCSOS water transport tunnel. It’ll be refreshed, handled once again by the Jay Dee-Herrenknecht partnership.
Through floods, rebuilds, airports, and cities, The Phoenix keeps rising.
Do you have news for the international trenchless industry? Contact journalist Gerald Lynch at gerald.lynch@primecreative.com.au
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