New York City's Own 50-Year Big Dig

600 feet below Manhattan is one of the biggest urban infrastructure projects in history, yet most city residents do not even know about this 50-year water project.

1 minute read

February 7, 2006, 5:00 AM PST

By Mike Lydon

"Vinnie the Mole is digging the massive second phase of City Tunnel No. 3, a 60-mile tunnel that began in the Bronx in 1970 and is scheduled for completion in 2020. By then, the tunnel will be able to handle the roughly one billion gallons of water a day used in New York City that originates from rural watersheds to points throughout the city."

"Although the tunnel is one of the largest urban projects in history, few people will ever see it. But beginning next week, many New Yorkers will certainly feel and hear the construction, said Michael Abbaszadeh, an engineer who is overseeing the project. Next Monday, workers will embark on a yearlong regimen of dynamite blasting throughout Midtown and Lower Manhattan to create nine water supply shafts designed to connect the water tunnel to mains under city streets and to provide workers access to the tunnels."

Read the full story: Chipping at Bedrock for 50 Years to Keep the City's Faucets Working

Monday, February 6, 2006 in The New York Times

Infrastructure New York

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