Tutor Perini subsidiary to dig US$1.1 billion water tunnel

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Tutor Perini’s subsidiary, Frontier-Kemper, won a $1.1 billion contract to build a water tunnel to help strengthen New York City’s water supply system.

The 2-mile-long Kensico-Eastview Connector Tunnel will connect Kensico Reservoir near White Plains, New York, to the Catskill/Delaware Ultraviolet Light Disinfection Facility, the Catskill/Delaware. the largest ultraviolet treatment plant in the worldin Eastview.

The facility offers specific treatment for Cryptosporidium and Giardia, natural microorganisms that can be found in surface water and can cause gastrointestinal illnesses. The tunnel will carry water to the facility’s 56 UV units, which neutralize these insects.

According to the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, the completed tunnel will be 27 feet in diameter and run 400 to 500 feet below ground level, with the capacity to transport 2.6 billion gallons of water per day.

The tunnel will help meet the future needs of the city and Westchester County, and is a critical addition to the water infrastructure that serves 9.1 million people in the region. It will be the largest water tunnel project in Westchester County since the 1940s and will allow other components of the system to be taken offline periodically for maintenance or inspection.

“The Kensico-Eastview Connection project is an essential investment to ensure the long-term resiliency of New York City’s water system,” DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala said in a statement last year. “By creating this vital link between Kensico Reservoir and our UV treatment facilities, this new tunnel strengthens our commitment to providing consistent, reliable water supply to New York City and the growing population centers in Westchester County.”

The tunnel needs to be completed before a roof can be built over the tunnel. Hillview Reservoir in Yonkersanother vital component of the system, the DEP said.

Los Angeles-based Tutor Perini said Frontier-Kemper, which specializes in underground and heavy civil construction including water supply and wastewater transportation, will build the new deep rock tunnel. Work is expected to begin in the coming months and be substantially completed by 2030.

Earlier this week, Tutor Perini warned investors which would report a loss in its third quarter profits due to charges resulting from disputes over several projects, but which would also record a record accumulation of approximately 14 billion dollars. The Kensico-Eastview Connection Tunnel award will be included in that total, the company said.