In the effort to fund and build a water transmission line under the Arkansas River near the Interstate 49 river bridge now under construction, the city of Fort Smith is looking to Elon. Yes, the rocket-launching, chainsaw-wielding guy.
The Boring Company, owned by Elon Musk, has announced a “Tunnel Vision Challenge” plan to build at no cost a one-mile tunnel that would be 12-foot in diameter for an organization, individual, or government. The company, created initially as a part of SpaceX, is now a separate company that seeks to build transportation, utility, and freight tunnels. The company uses unique tools – the primary being a large tunneling device known as “Prufrock” – and processes to quickly build the tunnels.
“Prufrock is designed to construct mega-infrastructure projects in a matter of weeks instead of years – so let’s build,” the company notes on its website.
The submission deadline is Feb. 23, with the winner announced March 23. Submission requirements include a general description of the project and reason for construction, projected benefits, and location details, with “bonus” info including subsurface conditions and structure.
The Fort Smith Board of Directors is set to vote Tuesday (Feb. 3) on a resolution authorizing city staff to submit a challenge proposal to The Boring Company.
“If approved by the Board of Directors, city staff will submit a proposal for a 1 mile, 12-foot wide tunnel that would be used to cross the Arkansas River for the Phase 4 – Lake Fort Smith Water Transmission Line project,” Todd Mittge, the city’s director of engineering noted in a memo to Acting City Administrator Jeff Dingman. “The transmission line would occupy only a portion of the annular space within the 12-foot diameter pipe. The remaining annular space could be allocated for maintenance access, pedestrian use, or leased to accommodate other utility crossings, including telecommunications, natural gas, or similar services.”
The city is working to build a 48-inch water transmission line extending 33.56 miles from the Lake Fort Smith Water Treatment Plant in Mountainburg to Fort Smith. Water from the new line would service the area south of Zero Street in Fort Smith, and provide system redundancy.
The existing 27-inch transmission line between Lake Fort Smith and Fort Smith was constructed in 1935 and 1936. The line carries around 35% of water from Lake Fort Smith. The 36-inch Lake Fort Smith transmission line was built in the 1950s and 1960s and carries 65% of the water from Lake Fort Smith.
There are five phases to build the 48-inch transmission line. The first phase of 6 miles has been completed. The planned phase 4 is 2.1 miles and would cross the Arkansas River near the I-49 bridge now under construction north of Barling.
Funding for the line continues to be a challenge. The city has an estimated price tag ranging between $328 million and $585 million for the entire project.
