The immense drill that's burrowing a subway tunnel beneath New York City will remain underground after its work is through, a move to cut the expensive costs of removing it.
The 200-ton drill will remain 14 stories below the surface of the earth.
"A recent visit to the cutter's future crypt revealed a machine that evokes an alien life form that crashed to earth a millennia ago. Its steel gears, bolts and pistons, already oxidizing, appeared lifeless and fatigued. A wormlike fan, its exhaust pipe disappearing into the cutter's maw, was still spinning, its drone not unlike a slumbering creature's breath.
"If you came and visited this 100 years from today, this is what you'd see," said Dr. Horodniceanu, balancing on a catwalk that overlooks the enormous contraption. "People would not know what it's all about."
The cutter head, known as Seli after its Italian manufacturer, has been eating its way through several miles of Manhattan schist since 2007. Its flat face is equipped with 45 rotating discs, each carrying a layer of tungsten carbide, an exceptionally strong alloy that can easily break through the city's bedrock. (Rumors that the machine used diamonds for this purpose were "an urban legend," according to a transportation authority spokesman.)"
FULL STORY: Deep Below Park Avenue, a Monster at Rest
NYC Tests New Subway Gates to Limit Fare Evasion
The mayor has taken a strong interest in enforcing fare collection at the city’s transit stations.
MTA Boosts Suicide Prevention Efforts on Subway System
One pilot program involves installing blue lights that could have a ‘calming effect’ at three subway stations.
New York Subway Will Pilot Platform Barriers To Improve Rider Safety
After a shocking death and an overall rise in violent crime at its stations, New York City's transit authority will install platform barriers to prevent intentional or accidental falls onto tracks.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
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Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
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ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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