Project Overview
Tunneling Activity
Tunneling operations have begun with the tunnel boring machine (TBM) beginning its journey at the School Street site and moving north through Pawtucket and Central Falls. While the TBM will be largely undetectable at the surface as it progresses along the tunnel route, there will be material removal activity at the surface within the School Street site. As the material comes out of the tunnel, it will travel along a conveyer system where it will be loaded into dump trucks and transported off site. This process will generate some level of noise while it’s in operation and will require the closure of Nassau Street (between the site and Bucklin Point Waste Water Treatment Facility). The hours of operation may vary over the course of the project. Please note that tunneling operations will stop for Thanksgiving and then again between Christmas and New Years.
Important Information about Controlled Blasting Activities
Controlled Blasting Activities have started taking place at 660 Roosevelt Avenue and 50 Pleasant Street in Pawtucket. We anticipate not more than three (3) blasts per week per site (likely alternating days between sites). Blasting at both sites will be below surface and CB3A anticipates minor disruption to the adjacent neighbors, similar to the sound of a large truck passing by or a rumble of thunder.
A series of HORN signals will be used to warn personnel at the site and nearby residents prior to each blast. Each blast will be preceded by a security check of the affected area and then a series of warning pulses.
To sign up for blasting notifications (sent approximately 24 hours prior to planned blasting activity), please send an email to notifications@cb3a.com requesting to be added to the list.
For more information about the Controlled Blasting Activities, please click here.
In an effort to continue its compliance with the federal Clean Water Act, and with the intention of returning some of Rhode Island’s most vulnerable waterways back to their natural conditions, the Narragansett Bay Commission recently launched Phase III of its RestoredWaters RI project. The first two phases, completed in 2008 and 2014, respectively, have significantly improved the health of upper Narragansett Bay along with a number of its tributaries. When the centerpiece of Phase III – the Pawtucket Tunnel – is complete, storm-related sewage discharges from the area will have decreased by 93 percent.
With an anticipated completion date of 2027, the Tunnel will travel through Pawtucket, Central Falls and East Providence at a depth of approximately 125 feet below the ground. At 2.2 miles long and 30 feet in diameter, it will have a storage capacity of more than 58 million gallons of stormwater. In addition to the Tunnel, Phase III includes the installation of four drop shafts, a launch shaft and a receiving shaft.
For more information about the project, check out the RestoredWaters RI Frequently Asked Questions.