WorldWide Drilling Resource

Construction Completed on the Anacostia River Tunnel Compiled by the Editorial Staff of WorldWide Drilling Resource ® The construction of a tunnel running deep under Washington, D.C., was re- cently completed by a Salini-Impregilo / Healy / Parsons joint venture as part of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority’s (DC Water’s) Anacostia River Tunnel Project. It took over a year for a machine nicknamed “Nannie” to drill a 2½-mile-long tunnel, which started at a shaft 12,500 feet from RFK Stadium, home of the Washington Nationals base- ball team, and ended when the machine broke through the wall of another shaft a t Po p l a r Point, south of the Nationals Ballpark. It’s part of a planned 13-mile tunnel network under Washington, which will be used as temporary storage tanks during a storm by holding and diverting water runoff for treatment at DC Water’s Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant. The tunnel boring machine (TBM) weighed about 90 tons, with a diameter of 26 feet. It had to be lowered piece by piece into the shaft near RFK Stadium prior to drilling. The cutterhead is equipped with a system of scrapers which bored through the earth, with the football-field-long (TBM) and trailing gear following behind. Construction crews were always present as they carefully navigated around sensitive sites, utilities, and water mains. As the drill progressed forward, they would line the tunnel walls with cement. For safety reasons, the tunneling system was designed to prevent any sinkholes, inflow of uncontrolled materials, or other issues from occurring. The tunnel itself is 23 feet in diameter, and was drilled in soft ground primarily in public space. It runs underneath the Anacostia River, the 11th Street Bridge, and other large utilities. In compar- ison to the Metro rail tunnels, it is larger and actually goes deeper to a depth of 100 feet, even running directly under the Metro’s Green Line. Upon completion of the tunnel, workers lifted the face of the massive tunnel boring machine to the surface, which required a special crane counterbalanced with more than 150 ton weights. The Anacostia River Tunnel connects with a previously completed four-mile tunnel, which ends at the Blue Plains facility. In March 2018, sewage which currently flows from 15 overflow pipes into the Anacostia River will be diverted into smaller tun- nels. Before returning to the Potomac River, the sewage will drop 100 feet into the Anacostia tunnel system, and will flow to Blue Plains where it will be prop- erly treated. Another tunnel is expected to be constructed before 2025, which wi l l connect to the Anacostia River Tunnel, in an effort to deal with com- bined sewer overflow into the Potomac River and other tunnels already com- pleted. Anacostia River Tunnel, courtesy of DC Water. (514) 833-0428 • info@maxidrill.com • www.maxidrill.com Maxidrill is pleased to present the HARDAB drilling solution: a Small track-mounted drill rig (13 tons) • No access limitation • No overweight limitation • No landscape limitation a Fast, safe, hands-free pipe handling system (patented) • 660’ x 3½’’ of drill pipe onboard • One-man operated drill rig a Larger auxiliary compressor with silence package • More production • Less noise • Better fuel economy Surnamed THE LITTLE MONSTER by drillers, the HARDAB surpassed production of larger, more expensive drill rigs. The HARDAB drill rig will completely change your working life. Congratulat ions to: Laura Young Hil l top Basic Resources Cinc innat i , OH Winner for March! Time for a Little Fun! March Puzzle Solution: Drill Pipe, Inc. Maxidrill, Inc. Can you identify which classified ads in this issue these two photos came from? Win a prize! Send your completed puzzle to: WWDR PO Box 660 Bonifay, FL 32425 or fax to: 850-547-0329 53 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® APRIL 2017 Water willl be the Editorial Focus for our June issue. Have an article idea? Submit it to us today. Call Bonnie at 850-547-0102 or e-mail bonnie@ worldwidedrillingresource.com