The construction crew in the City of Columbus in the US is celebrating progress of the $250 million Lower Olentangy Tunnel, which is keeping untreated water from local waterways.
Columbus began construction of the Lower Olentangy Tunnel nearly four years ago.
When complete in late-2026, the project will help prevent sewage overflow during increasingly common severe storms from polluting waterways like the Olentangy River.
The crew is using a Herrenknecht tunnel boring machine to move through without disrupting the community.
In an interview with the local news, the City of Columbus project manager Jeremy Cawley said the tunnel will provide a major positive impact to the local community.
“At this site, we’re picking up three of our main trunks under heavy rain events,” he said. “We’ll hold it in the tunnel until the wastewater treatment plants can handle it, and then it’ll be treated as it should be and released.
“So, it’s cleaning up the rivers quite a bit. Getting all the bacteria [and] things like that out, and properly treating it. And so it’s actually helping the river quite a bit and the folks who use it.
“This is the biggest project I’ve been on. It’s actually, I think, the second largest the city’s ever bid. It’s an honor to be on a project of this size.”
The project is expected to have a lifespan of at least 100 years.
Do you have news for the international trenchless industry? Contact journalist Gerald Lynch at gerald.lynch@primecreative.com.au
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