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Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2021
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT BENEATH
CLEARVIEW EXPRESSWAY UNDERWAY
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
The construction of a triple
tunneling project under
the Clearview Expressway at
38th Avenue and 206th Street
to 216th Street in northeast
Queens is well underway.
The construction of a new
tunnel for a new gas line, sewer
and water main under the
expressway is part of Project
QED 991, a new trunk and distribution
water main and infrastructure
upgrade along 33rd
Avenue and surrounding areas
in Bayside and Flushing.
The brand-new water mains
replace 80- to 120-year-old
cast-iron conduits along 33rd
Avenue from 156th Street to
Francis Lewis Boulevard; 38th
Avenue from 216th Street to
Francis Lewis Boulevard; Utopia
Parkway from 33rd Avenue
to 37th Avenue; and 37th Avenue
from Utopia Parkway to
Francis Lewis Boulevard.
Michel Michael, with Entech
Mirabal Engineers, explained
that a procedure called
trenchless technology is used
for the installation of the gas,
sewer and water pipes, which
includes micro-tunneling work
and doesn’t disturb highway
traffic.
“We don’t have open tunnels
or open trenches to install the
pipes,” Michael said. “This is
one of the technologies the city
uses.”
First, a four-inch diameter
probe creates a 250-foot-long
path under the expressway at a
depth of 12 feet from the jacking
shaft on 38th Avenue and 206th
Street to the receiving shaft on
207th Street, followed by a 30-
inch probe.
For the water mains, the
next step is the installation of
the 60-inch steel sleeves. An
auger, a precisely aligned 60-
inch green drilling device attached
to a horizontal boring
machine, sits in the 60-inch
steel sleeve. After drilling, the
auger is pulled out, with the
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
60-inch sleeve, or casing pipe,
left in place to accommodate a
48-inch trunk water main, also
called a carrier pipe.
After the carrier pipes are
installed, the annular, the
space between the carrier
pipes and the casing, is then
grouted. The gas and sewer
sleeves measure 30 inch in
diameter to accommodate 10-
inch sewer and gas mains.
“Obviously, when you have
a project that is so big, you’re
going to get a lot of calls and
requests,” said Charlie Martinez,
the engineer-in-charge
at NYC Department of Design
and Construction. “One thing
that we find interesting is that
people really want this project.
Sometimes, we get requests
from people that are two or
three blocks away from our
job site, asking if we are going
to change the sewer in their
streets or the catch basin.”
Should the surrounding
community have any concerns
about the project, Ian
Michaels, the executive director
of public information at the
NYC Department of Design
and Construction, said the the
community construction liaison
Latisha James is there for
them.
“Her job is to communicate
with the community and let
them know what is going on,”
Michaels said. “If somebody
has a problem, a complaint, or
a question about the job, there
is always someone they can
talk to.”
The project’s expected
completion date is Aug. 29,
2022, with 71 percent of the job
finished.
Vol. 30 No. 5 32 total pages
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