Tunnel Excavation Begins at the Second Avenue Subway
10 photos
<p>Looking south from the 7-story stairwell leading into the current site, at 92nd and 2nd Avenue. Notice the boring machine on the right leading into the southbound tunnel.</p>
Looking north towards 96th Street- the back end of the boring machine is on the left.
<p>Part of the system that removes the debris drilled out by the boring machine.</p>
<p>Welders working on the structure of the site. </p>
<p>Looking north from the bed of the subway line. Notice the enormous structure holding open the box, and the conveyor belt for removing debris on the upper right.</p>
<p>Looking south from ground level towards the mouth of the tunnels. Notice the blue rubble containers- those will be loaded with debris and pulled out over the conveyor system seen in the previous shot. </p>
<p>Sandhogs taking a break to look at the ceremonial switching-on of the machine.</p>
<p>Adi, the boring machine, has been in use in projects around the city for more than thirty years, including the digging of the Brooklyn Water Tunnel. She's named after the granddaughter of the current president of the MTA's construction authority.</p>
<p>The face of the boring machine- notice the wheels that help it rotate and the giant teeth for cutting rock.</p>
<p>Looking down the short stretch of current tunnel- digging at 100ft per day, the machine should reach the 63rd Street end by next year, at which point it will return to this spot to dig the Northbound tunnel. </p>