EXPLORATORY TUNNEL WORK BEGINS SOON

IN LOUISVILLE’S EAST END

 

The exploratory bore will produce the additional information needed for design of the two, three-lane tunnels.  The bore will begin along the old KY 841 exit ramp and extend below U.S. 42 and the historic Drumanard Estate.  The access ramp will descend approximately 65 feet below ground to the tunnel opening.  The 12-foot-by-12-foot exploratory tunnel will be approximately 1,800 feet long.

Community Transportation Solutions (CTS), the general engineering consultant coordinating work on the Bridges Project, oversees design activities for the Kentucky East End Approach.  Engineers from H.W. Lochner, the prime consultant performing design work for the east end approach, expect that work crews will advance about 10 feet a day, with smaller borings taken at intervals to gather as much additional geotechnical information as possible. 

“The exploratory work for the tunnel will tell us a number of things we need to know before design work can begin on the ultimate tunnel,” said Jerry Leslie, Lochner’s section design manager for the Kentucky East End Approach.  “We’ll be collecting an exhaustive amount of data having to do with the nature of the geology below U.S. 42 and other physical characteristics of the tunnel alignment.” 

The project is reaching out to nationally recognized experts in the fields of tunnel construction and underground excavation. Work on this preliminary project will include specialized hauling, roadway excavation, fencing and barricades, signage, temporary landscaping, lighting, traffic control, concrete, erosion control and much more.

Certified KY DBEs were encouraged to participate in the bidding process by attending the mandatory pre-bid meeting (held July 31 in Frankfort), and establishing contact with the potential prime contractors bidding on the project.

Contractor Attendee List

KY DBE sub-contractors should reach out to majority contractors and be added to the Contractor’s List of any company that is considering bidding as a prime. You can access a list of contractors that participated in the July 31 pre-bid meeting by clicking below.

 

 

For more information about becoming involved in the project, please contact the office of the KY DBE Program Manager at 502-499-9440 or by e-mailing info@tktandassociates.com.