The job is progressing along just fine. I am on the East Side Combined Sewer Outfall (ESCSO) here in Portland. In a nutshell we are building a 22 ft. inside diameter tunnel 7 miles long. Once complete, it will carry sewage to the treatment plant. We have now tunneled 250 feet. This was our first milestone, we now have dropped all the trailing gear (the rest of the tunnel boring machine) into the hole and the long task of hooking it up is on its way.

There are 7 shafts that are spread throughout the 7 miles of tunnels. These shafts range in diameter from 85 ft to 45ft. They are vertical shafts and will allow the sewer to go from the surface down into the tunnel.

My job is to plan and supervise the setup of the shaft sites and get them ready for our subcontractor to sink the shafts.