Blue Plains Tunnel Project
The Blue Plains Tunnel Project received the Engineering News Record (ENR) 2016 Best Project Award for the Mid-Atlantic Region for Water/Environment. The project was selected by industry judges that evaluated a large number of projects according to overcoming challenges, contribution to the industry and community, safety and quality.
Overview
The Blue Plains Tunnel was the first of DC Water's large tunnel contracts to go to construction. "Lady Bird" Tunnel Boring Machine, the First Lady of Clean Rivers, constructed 24,300 linear feet of reinforced concrete tunnel as part of the project.
Check out this great video of "Lady Bird" building the Blue Plains Tunnel.
"Lady Bird" Tunnel Boring Machine
| "Lady Bird" | Quick Facts | Performance |
|---|---|---|
 |
26 feet, 4 inches diameter Total length of 443 feet 1,323 Tons (equal to approximately 7.5 Boeing 747s) Earth Pressure Balance Machine Manufactured by Herrenknecht Approximate $30M cost Named after after Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson, First Lady and wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson Christened with DC Water tap in a ceremony with former Mayor Vincent C. Gray, Ward 3 Councilmember Mary M. Cheh, US EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin, District City Administrator and DC Water Board Chair Allen Y. Lew and DC Water General Manager George S. Hawkins |
Mining start: 7/29/13 Mining end: 7/25/15 726 calendar days 24,300 foot drive Bolted and gasketed concrete steel fiber reinforced segments Mined successfully beneath sensitive structures Mined predominantly through stiff clay Moved approximately 13 million cubic feet of soil for this project - enough material to fill the reflecting pool 14.5 times Moved 72,500 truckloads of soil |
Project Location Map
