08/19/2026
In the mountains in the Mojave Desert you may not have heard the fireworks, the high fives, fist bumps, and cheers from BT’s crew in North Las Vegas on Thursday morning August 13th. Our talented crew was celebrating as our 60-inch TBM lovingly named “Tortuga” bored its way out the side of the mountain having successfully completed the 515-foot drive through the 20,000 psi rock. How close were we to the planned line and grade? “This is probably the straightest tunnel I’ve ever seen. It’s within the width of a BB!” BT’s Superintendent Matt Ho**er says. The custom-built rock head on the front of our Akkerman 480 Series II TBM came out sounding just like it did when it started and appeared ready to eat more rock. The BT team sincerely thanks our crew for safely achieving this significant milestone on the project while battling the extreme summer heat of Nevada. Big thanks to our partners Ames Construction, SNWA (Southern Nevada Water Authority), Local 12 Operating Engineers, Local 872 Laborers, and Empire CAT.
