Tunnel Boring Machine Arrives for Aqueduct ProjectThe tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the NovalichesBalara Aqueduct 4 or NBAQ4 project of Manila Water has arrived on site in Quezon City. The TBM will be used to build a 7.3-kilometer underground aqueduct passing under Commonwealth Avenue—the first time in the Philippines a TBM will be used in an urban setting.

Designed and manufactured by German company Herrenknecht AG, the machine weighs 266 tons, has a cutting diameter of 3.8 meters and is 113 meters long. Upon assembly, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor NovaBala JV Corporation is set to begin works on its launch shaft in Brgy. Old Balara.

NovaBala JV Corporation, composed of First Balfour Inc. (Philippines), CMC di Ravenna (Italy) and Chun Wo Engineering (Hong Kong), signed the design-and-build contract in August 2017. (Story/Photos by: Dolly Pasia-Ramos)