Frontier-Kemper Awarded $1.1 Billion Kensico-Eastview Connection Tunnel Project

Tutor Perini Corp. announced Oct. 23 that its subsidiary, Frontier-Kemper Constructors, has been awarded a contract valued at approximately $1.1 billion by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection for the Kensico-Eastview Connection Tunnel Project.

The scope of work entails the construction of a new deep rock tunnel between the Kensico Reservoir and the Catskill/Delaware Ultraviolet (CDUV) Light Disinfection Facility, both in Westchester County, New York. The new tunnel will provide an additional means of conveying water between the Kensico Reservoir and the CDUV Facility, enhancing operational resiliency and redundancy for New York City’s water supply system.

The new tunnel will run approximately 500 ft below ground and extend approximately 2 miles. The finished tunnel will be 27 ft in diameter. Included in the project are two large shafts to accommodate TBM launch and retrieval. Work is expected to begin in the coming months with substantial completion expected in 2030.

“Creating additional redundancy in our vital water supply system is an essential investment for the long-term resilience of the remarkable feat of engineering that provides more than 9 million New Yorkers with a reliable supply of pristine tap water,” DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala said. “This project will help us fulfill our commitment to providing consistent and reliable delivery of the highest-quality water to New York City and the growing population centers in Westchester County.”

Kensico Reservoir was built in 1915 as part of New York City’s Catskill Water Supply System. Kensico was later modified in the 1940s to also receive water from the City’s Delaware Water Supply System, also in the Catskills. Those two systems—collectively referred to as the Catskill-Delaware System—comprise the largest unfiltered water supply in the United States.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water each day to nearly 10 million residents, including 8.5 million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants.

Comments are closed here.