The Mill Creek/Peaks Branch/State Thomas Drainage Relief Tunnel (Mill Creek Tunnel) reached an important milestone on July 25, when the tunnel boring machine (TBM) broke through the shaft wall to complete the excavation phase. The large-diameter TBM, nicknamed “Big Tex,” completed a 5-mile journey that included 2 miles of 37.5-ft-dia excavation and 3 miles of 32.5-ft-dia excavation. Big Tex was the largest hard-rock TBM in operation in the U.S. during the excavation phase. The next phase will start with construction of the tunnel’s concrete liner. Once complete, the Mill Creek Tunnel will include 2 miles of 35-ft-dia tunnel and 3 miles of 30-ft-dia tunnel. Halff Associates led the design effort for this $320-million drainage relief project, including the centerpiece Mill Creek Tunnel, which is being constructed at depths reaching 170 ft underground. The project team includes the owner, City of Dallas, construction manager Black & Veatch and construction contractor Southland Mole JV. Pictured are members of Halff's Mill Creek Tunnel team on July 25 after the shaft wall excavation was completed.

Photo courtesy of Brasfield & Gorrie

Brasfield & Gorrie partnered with HKS Architects, WoodHaus and Cherry Coatings to design and build a custom playhouse for the Dallas CASA Parade of Playhouses. The team used plywood, iridescent plastic and mirrored plexiglass to create a colorful space inspired by fun houses. It was raffled to benefit Dallas CASA. The annual fundraiser supports Dallas CASA’s efforts to advocate for safe homes for children who have been victims of abuse or neglect. Brasfield & Gorrie, HKS Architects and WoodHaus have collaborated on the Parade of Playhouses since 2020. Pictured from left: Brasfield & Gorrie’s Michael Lewis; HKS Architects’ Barrie Mounger, Erin Halliday and Reid Thornburg; and Brasfield & Gorrie’s Josh Tellifero and Steve Farabaugh.

Photo courtesy of Harvey-Cleary

Harvey-Cleary’s Houston Office hosted a LOGIC Women in Construction Leadership panel with its own Cathy Linhart discussing corporate-wide diversity and inclusion initiatives. The panel also featured Tara Anderson from TDIndustries and Karalynn Cromeens from Cromeens Law Firm, and was attended by over 100 women. LOGIC is an ABC sub-organization with goals to build up individual women by providing them with opportunities to learn and advance skillsets, encourage other women to take risks and reach individual goals, grow women’s companies and support the efforts of growth for the construction industry. The session featured the panelists’ experiences as women and important steps the industry can take to continue to grow women leaders. Pictured from left: Wendy Arias, Karalynn Cromeens, Tara Anderson, Cathy Linhart and Nora Cassanova.

Photo courtesy of Turner Industries

Turner Specialty Services (TSS) has been highlighting its latest innovations and services by hosting several demonstration days for clients throughout Texas and Louisiana. During these demo days, TSS presented its updated drone and robotics capabilities, showcased its newest industrial cleaning technology, held live rope access demonstrations —which included mechanical services such as welding, flange make-ups, rescue, and transfer systems—and demonstrated key benefits of Turner Tablet Applications.

Photo courtesy of E.E. Reed

E.E. Reed summer intern Javier Toledo, Jr., and his father, Javier Toledo, Sr., a foreman at Texas A&M Concrete, working at the I-10 West Trade Center in Brookshire, Texas. E.E. Reed’s internship program offers students a hands-on experience in learning every aspect of the construction industry. Interns are involved in customer relations, document management, scheduling, estimating, cost control, cost and fee projections, subcontractor and supplier management, material procurement coordination and safety procedures.