East Side Access Manhattan Tunnels Excavation and East Side Access Manhattan Structures, Part 1

The East Side Access project will provide direct Long Island Rail Road service to Grand Central Terminal on Manhattan’s East Side, reducing commuting time for an estimated 162,000 customers daily. OHLA USA’s subsidiary, Judlau Contracting, Inc., was part of a joint venture that performed two contracts: 1- the $429 million tunnels excavation and 2- the $787 million caverns excavation. The tunnels excavation project included the construction of four 22-foot diameter tunnels totaling 4.7 miles in length. Two TBMs excavated 346,000 cubic yards of rock while mining 120 feet beneath Manhattan streets. The project included 40,000 cubic yards of cavern excavation, cross passages, and sumps, using drill and blast techniques.

For the caverns’ scope of work, the joint-venture team excavated two 1,500-foot-long caverns and excavated and installed the concrete lining for nine cross passages, eight connecting tunnels, five access tunnels, four escalator ways, and five vertical shafts in Madison Yard. The team also jacked Grand Central Terminal to allow for the removal of existing columns and the installation of new columns and critical beams. Several foundations of the 59-story MetLife Building were relocated, and the building loads were transferred to excavate the ramps. This load transfer also involved the jacking and securing of the existing building.