The tunnel boring machine began its work in Port Moody in March 2014 on a 2.2-kilometre tunnel that ends in Coquitlam.
Work continued with some interruptions for difficult soil conditions until its completion at the end of November, 2015. The 20 months of work was triple the initial plan.
The cutting tools on the face of the boring machine loosened soil and moved it into a chamber where it was removed by a conveyor. The soil was deposited in a pit beside the Port Moody highway and from there it was trucked away to a disposal site.
A staging area at Port Moody was used to provide the supplies and equipment needed for the machine. An overhead gantry crane was used to pick up the thousands of concrete segments to construct the rings for the tunnel walls and deliver them to a vehicle that trucked them into the tunnel.
Related
