Miami Port Tunnel excavation underway
Nov 2011
Paula Wallis, TunnelTalk
- Following a last minute blunder that caused several days delay, the TBM roared to life to begin excavation on the $1 billion Port of Miami Tunnel on Friday morning at 5am (November 11, 2011).
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TBM launched at 5am on Friday (November 11)
- Miami Access Tunnel (MAT), the project concessionaire, tested the 42ft (12.8m) diameter Herrenknecht EPB three days earlier in preparation for the first of two 3,900ft (1.1km) underwater drives.
- The TBM dedication ceremony was canceled last week, and the start of tunnel boring which had been scheduled for Monday November 7 was delayed while State regulators sorted out a last minute letter, from the Village of Key Biscayne, suggesting that it was considering a legal challenge based on environmental concerns.
- The letter was quickly withdrawn by Village officials, but the State delayed issuing the final permit until early last week. MAT officials said a controversial plan to deposit tons of excavated muck to cap an old landfill as part of a nearby restoration project was temporarily dropped from the permit in an effort to speed up the process. MAT plans to test the first two of three thousand cubic yards of muck for contaminants and will apply for a permit modification if it is cleared for use as fill.
- The TBM's first drive from Watson Island to the port's Dodge Island is expected to take six months, followed by another six months for the return drive back to Watson Island.
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Mistake delays Miami Port Tunnel start - TunnelTalk, Nov 2011
Miami Port Tunnel gets underway - TunnelTalk, Jul 2010
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