Salini wins US$580 million US tunnel build

Salini Impregilo and Lane Construction will be joint-venture partners on a US$580 million sewer tunnel to be built in Washington DC.

Salini will hold a 30% stake in the project – which was awarded by the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) – with its US-based subsidiary Lane taking the remaining 70% share.

The Northeast Boundary Tunnel (NEBT) will be a deep sewer tunnel, intended to increase the city’s sewage capacity, reduce the frequency of flooding and improve the quality of the Anacostia River.

Running between 15 m and 49 m below ground, the NEBT will run for 8230 m and be aligned to intersect existing chronic flood areas along the city’s Rhode Island Avenue.

Diversion facilities have been put in place to redirect sewer flooding from the current system to the tunnel, from where it will be carried to DC Water’s Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Work on the project is expected to begin in September, with completion expected in 2023.