The East Side Access Tunnel project is a massive project that tunnels under the East River to connect the Long Island Rail Road’s (LIRR) Main and Port Washington lines in Queens to a new terminal beneath Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. This project increases the LIRR’s capacity into Manhattan and will dramatically shorten travel time into the City’s east side. Consisting of eight tracks and four platforms, the effort also entails construction of seven miles of bi-directional tunnels in Manhattan and Queens, a new commuter rail station, and yard facilities for storage and maintenance of LIRR trains.
Our survey crews are using sensors to continually monitor the busy streets and buildings in Queens above the tunnel and other locations on the underground rail platforms for the Quality Control of new slurry walls, electrical layouts, and new structures. Thousands of feet of rail track are being monitored 24/7 for movement using the Amberg GRP Trolley Survey System to measure and monitor the existing tracks critical for the success of the project, both above and underground. 3D High-Definition scanning is being used on structures being built to check against design tolerances including survey walks, buildings, shafts, convector belts, and caverns. Amberg Technologies’ Tunnel Mapping Solution (TMS) is being employed to provide the field crews with a systematic data acquisition procedure to capture highly accurate details needed for tunnel construction and readiness, including over and under-break, smoothness reporting, tunnel alignment, and profiles. TMS also provides office personnel with an automated and objective reporting process from which they can extract timely and accurate working data.