Tutor Perini subsidiary Frontier-Kemper won a $1.1 billion contract to build a water tunnel to help shore up New York City’s supply system.
The 2-mile-long Kensico-Eastview Connection Tunnel will connect the Kensico Reservoir near White Plains, New York, to the Catskill/Delaware Ultraviolet Light Disinfection Facility, the world’s largest ultraviolet treatment plant, in Eastview.
The facility provides treatment specifically for cryptosporidium and giardia, naturally occurring microorganisms that can be found in surface waters and can cause gastrointestinal ailments. The tunnel will bring water to the facility’s 56 UV units, which neutralize those bugs.
According to the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, the finished tunnel will be 27 feet in diameter and run 400 feet to 500 feet below grade, with a capacity to carry 2.6 billion gallons of water each day.
The tunnel will help meet future needs for the city and surrounding Westchester County, and is a critical addition to water infrastructure that serves 9.1 million people in the region. It will be the largest water-supply tunneling project in Westchester County since the 1940s and will allow other components of the system to periodically go offline for maintenance or inspection.
“The Kensico-Eastview Connection project is an essential investment in securing the long-term resilience of New York City’s water supply system,” DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala said in a release last year. “By creating this vital link between Kensico Reservoir and our UV treatment facilities, this new tunnel strengthens our commitment to providing consistent and reliable water delivery to New York City and the growing population centers in Westchester County.”
The tunnel needs to be completed prior to the construction of a cover over the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, another vital component of the system, DEP said.
Los Angeles-based Tutor Perini said Frontier-Kemper, which specializes in underground and heavy civil construction, including water supply and wastewater transport, will build the new deep rock tunnel. It expects work to begin in the coming months and to reach substantial completion by 2030.
Earlier this week, Tutor Perini warned investors that it would report a loss in its third quarter earnings due to charges from disputes on several projects, but that it would also post record backlog of approximately $14 billion. The Kensico-Eastview Connection Tunnel award will be included in that total, the company said.
