Tunnel about a third finished

Roadheaders’ 78 teeth chew through rock

Digging on a 2.5-kilometre downtown tunnel that will connect Lyon, Parliament and Rideau stations by light-rail transit is roughly 30 per cent complete.

The work is being done by three 135-tonne “roadheaders” named Jawbreaker, Chewrocka and Crocodile Rouge, which have been tasked with eating away at the rock beneath downtown Ottawa, with their rotating heads of 78 teeth made of tungsten carbide — an extremely hard metal.

Mayor Jim Watson said the corridor, which is a key part of the Confederation Line project, is expected to reach the halfway mark sometime in late summer. A Spanish-led team has a $2.1-billion contract to complete the current phase.

In order to complete the downtown tunnel, crews have split the job into three sections: the west portal, central shaft and east portal. The three roadheaders were shipped to Ottawa in pieces from New York and Austria, and they were assembled on site.

In the west, Jawbreaker was the first to break ground. It has made the most progress, clawing its

The work is being done by … ‘roadheaders’ named Jawbreaker, Chewrocka and Crocodile Rouge.

way to 441 metres of tunnel, and has been advancing east under Queen Street, near Lyon Street.

Chewrocka, which is in the middle of the action, entered through the central shaft at Kent Street and Queen Street. It has dug 251 metres of tunnel. Work on the cavern for Parliament station is expected to begin shortly.

In the east, near the University of Ottawa, Crocodile Rouge began digging west toward the Rideau station, and it is expected to link up with the others in the central shaft. It is currently advancing north under Laurier Street.