Tunnel Spoils

The third important component of the Alternative 7 East/West Rail proposal is the companion projects that the tunnel spoils would facilitate and share costs with.

By locating the major construction staging area at Logan airport, the tunnel spoils (rock dug out of the tunnels) can be removed off site by barge. No truck traffic through the city.

Just as building the TMTs in conjunction with the North/South Rail Project results in major cost savings, so does building a Boston Harbor Flood barrier (or a portion of it) at the same time as the TMTs.

While the Feasibility of Harbor-wide Barrier Systems Report of 2018 did not recommend pursuing the barrier at this time much of the reason had to do with cost.

The tunnel construction will produce more than 235,000,000 cubic yards of crushed rock. More than enough to build the fixed portions of an Outer Harbor Flood Barrier system.

No (or little) cost to dispose of tunnel spoils, no (or little) cost to obtain and deliver the crushed rock needed for the flood barriers. One of the major costs for tunnel construction and flood barrier construction are eliminated.