Paul B. Pizzimenti presented Golden Apples to Mr. Cordes and Mr. Hickey (Photo by Robert Talby).

Harald Cordes of Parsons Brinkerhoff and Don Hickey of the Judlau/Dragados Joint Venture gave a presentation on the Manhattan Tunnel Excavation of the East Side Access project on March 18, 2009. The technical lecture to the Geotechnical Group focused on the boring of four new TBM tunnels from 63rd Street and Second Avenue to Grand Central Terminal.

Construction of the Manhattan tunnel segments for the East Side Access project is one of the largest tunneling undertakings in the last 50 years. Mr. Cordes began the lecture by providing a brief overview of the East Side Access project, which will bring Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) trains to a new station below Grand Central Terminal, reducing travel times for commuters traveling to Manhattan's east side.

Mr. Hickey next provided an update on the progress of the tunnel construction under Manhattan. The tunnels to Grand Central Terminal are currently being driven by two different tunnel boring machines (TBMs) approximately 120-140 feet below street level and will connect with the existing 63rd Street Tunnel below the East River. He spoke about some of the challenges of boring the tunnels, which must pass by existing subway lines and removing the excavated rock, which is transported to Queens by a conveyor belt system over two miles in length.