Building subsurface infrastructure has long been a dirty and dangerous job. Specialized miners (known as sandhogs in New York) work alongside massive tunnel boring machines to build spaces deep underground for transportation or utilities. With diameters reaching 17.5 meters, tunnel boring machines (TBMs) slowly grind their way through a host of geologic formations ranging from hard rock to loosen soil and sands. They are high-tech mechanical machines, and, as in other industries, sensors and operational systems relay large amounts of real-time data to operators who adjust the drive accordingly.
Underground and out of sight
