Rebecca Maloney
Americas Press Office ,Boston
Arup worked on the construction of the $2.42bn Metropolitan Transportation Authority No. 7 Line Extension, which lengthens the subway line from its current terminus at Times Square to the far west of midtown Manhattan.
The new extension conquered some of the world’s most challenging tunnelling conditions to provide a vital piece of one of the most significant redevelopment schemes in New York City’s history.
We provided initial ground support design, construction sequence design, construction impact assessment, ventilation design, and field services including the fit-out with mechanical and electrical equipment. The final design of the initial ground support and the construction sequence design of all drill-and-blast excavations involved the first large rock cavern to be excavated in Manhattan in 40 years.
Arup’s work included three 40-50ft diameter rock shafts, a tunnel boring machine (TBM) assembly chamber, a pair of TBM starter and tail tunnels, a TBM reception chamber, five cross passages, two interlocking caverns, and the approximately 1000ft long, 60ft tall, 70ft span 34th Street Station cavern.
“Arup contributed significantly to the No. 7 Line Extension rock cavern’s widely lauded success, resolving many of the rock support and construction sequencing challenges. The team is proud to have supported such an important infrastructure project for the city.
Jon Hurt, Arup principal