The forward shell and sections of the cutterhead were first to arrive. Later came motors, hydraulic cylinders and other parts that were scavenged from other tunneling machines around the world. Some of the components were shipped from as far as Italy, with stops in Baltimore, while others came from Ohio and West Virginia. As the disparate components arrived on site, crews began the task of piecing together a 200-ft-long Robbins double-shield tunnel boring machine they later deployed to mine the 165-ft-deep, 5,500-ft Black River Wastewater Tunnel in Lorain, Ohio. The job marks the first application of onsite, first-time assembly of a TBM in the U.S., according to Michael Cugini, utility tunneling program manager with tunnel machine maker Robbins Co., Solon, Ohio.
"Logistics can pose challenges," says Cugini. "It can be difficult to ship parts where they're needed, when they're needed. There can be issues of oversized or overweight parts that require special transport permits. It can take time. It's not necessarily for every job."