511 Contra Costa

The excavation of the first of seven cross passages between bores four and three has begun. The cross passages will serve as a safety feature for motorists when the new tunnel opens to traffic. To see more pictures of the West Portal Crosspassages go to www.caldecott-tunnel.org.

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The installation of pipe canopy on the west portal will be going on until mid January, 2011. The pipe canopy will support the earth above the tunnel during the first 190 feet of excavation.

The next step will be tunnel excavation of the west portal. The tunneling machinery at the West Keep reading >>

What’s it like to work on a $400 million project in California, removing tons of rock and debris along more than 3,300 feet? Watch the Caldecott Tunnel fourth bore construction crew and the 130-ton, 54-foot-long roadheader hard at work in the following Caltrans video:

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Caltrans contractors plan to start carving out the fouth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel on Monday. The roadheader that is being used for the project is a 130-ton, 54-foot-long and 14-foot-tall excavation device with a rotating cutter mounted on a boom. The roadheader will dig the 3,389-foot-long bore that will Keep reading >>

According to mercurynews.com, fossil hunter Joshua Wyatt recently found the imprint of an avocado tree leaf- about 10 million years old- preserved in smooth rock like leaves flattened between layers of wax paper. The excavation of the fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel has opened a door for paleontologists Keep reading >>

A giant roadheader, which was built in Northeastern Germany, was shipped to Oakland and assembled at the east portal of the Caldecott Tunnel. There are several weeks worth of work that must happen before the excavation can begin. According to Caldecott-tunnel.org, the $3.5 million dollar machine weighs 130 tons Keep reading >>