River bore fact sheet_final

1. 1
About the tunnel boring machine
The tunnel boring machine used at
National Grid’s Buffalo River jobsite
is the Herrenknecht Slurry Machine
Length: 13’ 9” Weight: 29 tons
An estimated 850 Herrenknecht machines are being used today at jobsites worldwide.
First-time opportunity: The Ohio Street-Buffalo River Bore project represents the first time
that National Grid is using a microtunneling machine such as this for a construction project.
The machine works like a coffee grinder: The cutter head in front is equipped with
knives and discs that spin, remove soil, excavate a hole and install a tunnel tube.
As the cutter head rotates, soil, stone and other obstructions pass through the machine and are crushed
and granulated. The granules are mixed with a slurry, which is pumped to a separation plant at the jobsite.
A tunnel is created using a pipe jacking method, which is common for these types of jobs:
* A hydraulic jacking frame pushes the tunnel boring machine and a string of a pipe.
* It’s a stop-and-go process: After excavating soil and limestone,
a segment of pipe is lowered into the new space.
* This process is repeated to lengthen the tube in the tunnel.
Photo © Herrenknecht AG

2. 2
Ohio Street - Buffalo River Project
New and growing commercial businesses in Buffalo
have increased the demand on the electrical system.
To accommodate this revitalization, National Grid
is investing in our electric infrastructure:
* The Ohio Street-Buffalo River Project is part of a large-scale initiative to install
new underground wires and equipment along Ohio Street.
* The new wires and equipment will replace electric infrastructure that is some of the
oldest in the world that dates to the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
* The Ohio Street-Buffalo River Project cost is around $11 million.
Photo © Herrenknecht AG