A 4-mile tunnel carved out of bedrock under Hartford’s South End — the city’s very own Big Dig — is now nearly complete and will be a crucial component for eliminating sewer waste that overflows and pollutes Wethersfield Cove, the Connecticut River and other streams especially when there are heavy rainstorms. The Metropolitan District Commission project would seem to come at the right time: Experts say climate change is bringing on more wild and intense swings in weather. But the $279 million tunnel and its pumping system, designed to serve Hartford’s southside, West Hartford, Newington and Wethersfield, won’t go into service until late 2026. The tunnel is an engineering feat that involved burrowing through rock 200 feet below homes and businesses to create a passageway that is 18 feet in diameter and can store 42 million gallons of combined storm and wastewater. The tunneling contractor hired by the MDC — a joint venture of Kenny Construction Co. of Illinois and Obayashi Corp., one of Japan’s largest construction firms — is seeking between $36 million and $100 million in court to cover the cost of the tunnel construction delays, Stone said.
Massive tunnel under CT city for sewer waste is behind schedule. It could cost tens of millions more