Work started recently on a tunnel project in Northern Kentucky that will transport sewage across Boone County to a new water treatment plant along the Ohio River, The Enquirer, a local newspaper, reported.
The 6-mile-long, 8.5-ft-diameter tunnel comes in at about $109.4 million. It will be about 300 ft underground.
Every week for the next 12 to 18 months, contractor McNally/Kiewit plans to drill 1,000 ft, said John Swann, construction manager for the sanitation district. The tunnel will be made by a 65-ton tunnel-boring machine, and crews will build access shafts at various points for future maintenance.
"It's kind of mind-boggling, a project of that scope happening right here in our backyard," Board Chairman Bob Elliston told the paper. "We're proud to be associated with such world-class technology and its utilization here."
The concrete tunnel is designed to last 100 years. Both the tunnel and the $69.2-million treatment plant are expected to be operational in 2013, according to the paper.
The tunnel will be able to store extra water after heavy rains, and the project is designed to alleviate the burden on Kenton County’s Dry Creek treatment plant.
"At the end of the day, it's going to be incredibly important for the whole community for that project to be completed," Elliston said.
Photo courtesy of The Enquirer/Patrick Reddy.
Source: The Enquirer
