Second Avenue Subway Boring Nears 2,000 Feet Updated August 26, 2010 4:20pm

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By Gabriela Resto-Montero

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

UPPER EAST SIDE — It took a while to get warmed up but the MTA tunnel boring machine has now dug through nearlly 2,000 feet of rock on the route for the Second Avenue subway.

The machine, which managed to chew through just 300 feet of rock in June, mined roughly 1,760 feet in August, said Kevin Ortiz, spokesman for the MTA.

When it was launched in May, the boring machine was expected to go through 50 feet of rock a day but that progress was slowed by poor rock quality, according to the MTA.

A runway drill that was testing rock popped up above ground on East 90th Street in July.

The tunnel digging is expected to be finished in 2011.

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• Second Avenue Subway Tunnel Boring Machine Moving Slowly, A month after it was launched in May, the Tunnel Boring Machine had mined through just 300 feet of rock. The machine was expected to move a little slower during its start-up phase, the MTA said.  [DNAinfo/Gabriela Resto-Montero]
• Second Avenue Construction Drill Pops Up on East 90th Street In July, a drill testing the quality of the rock beneath Second Avenue popped up at East 90th Street.  [DNAinfo/Gabriela Resto-Montero]