Back on Track, from Québec

Even while on vacation the Second Avenue subway project has a way of finding me.


8/30/13

I was in Québec, Canada for part of August and, completely by chance, I came across a tunnel form structure (shown above) that will be used for the Second Avenue subway project.



8/30/13

I first noticed this structure in Ayer's Cliff, Québec, when I was  visiting the Annual Exhibition of the Stanstead County Agricultural Society (also known as the Ayers' Cliff Fair). The village of Ayer's Cliff is located just 10 miles north of the Vermont border.



8/30/13

A few days after the fair closed, I drove back to Ayer's Cliff with my camera. Hoping to introduce myself, and take some pictures, I dropped in at the office of Everest Equipment Company.

To say that they were a little surprised to meet me might be an understatement.

The project manager told me that they had received so many questions about this particular tunnel form that they had decided to post a large sign on it that explained to passersby what it is.

The tunnel form shown here is for use inside the 86th Street station. This structure, which is technically known as a "station arch tunnel formwork," will allow the contractor to cast complete sections of the 86th Street station cavern ceiling arch using concrete.



8/30/13

The company began designing and fabricating the tunnel form in January of 2013. Assembly of the form structure began a few months later in the company's yard.

After the tunnel form has been inspected by the customer, who I assume is the MTA's contractor Skanska / Traylor JV, it will be disassembled and shipped to New York, and then reassembled inside the 86th Street station cavern.



8/30/13

This piece of the form is a section of ceiling arch turned on its side.



8/30/13

A view of workers moving around very heavy sections of the steel arch.



8/30/13

Another view of a section of the arch.



8/30/13

This is a view of the tunnel form, as seen from the grandstands on the Ayer's Cliff Fairgrounds. (The tunnel form is in the center of the image in the distance -- double click to enlarge the image.)

Here's a listing of fairly recent additions
to the right-hand column of The Launch Box:

Fourth Second Avenue Subway Report Card
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney
7/29/13

"SUV crashes into 2nd. Ave. subway construction site"
By Barry Paddock
New York Daily News
7/29/13

"Descending into the Second Avenue Subway Construction in NYC"
By Bhushan Mondkar
Untapped Cities.com
7/24/13

Video: "Second Avenue Subway: Phase 1 Halfway Done"
NBC 4 New York
7/11/13

Abandoned SAS segment party prompts NYPD inquiry
2nd Ave. Sagas
6/25/13

"New York's Double Standard on NIMBYism"
By Eric Jaffe
The Atlantic
6/25/13

"Build Second Avenue Subway Entrance Elsewhere, Yorkville Residents Tell MTA"
By Victoria Bekiempis
DNAinfo.com New York - 6/14/13

::

MTA Second Avenue Subway Newsletter
Volume XVI, August 2013

Lex Av/63rd St Station Area

72nd St Station Area

86th St Station Area

96th St Station Area

::

A Footnote

My apologies for a lack of fresh postings during the past three months. After blogging about this project more than six years I decided to take a break for the summer.

I'm back now and ready to renew the effort.

Ben