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Fort Wayne’s tunnel boring machine named MamaJo

(Photo Supplied/City of Fort Wayne)

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Fort Wayne’s tunnel boring machine has been named MamaJo. Officials with the City of Fort Wayne made the announcement Tuesday.

Photo Supplied – City Utilities

Earlier this year, City Utilities worked with neighborhood leaders and local students to come up with possible names for the machine. The list was then narrowed to four and the community voted online to choose a winner.  MamaJo was an overwhelming winner with more than 43% of the vote.

The name came to fruition by taking the first two letters from Fort Wayne’s three rivers, the Ma from Marys, Ma from Maumee and Jo from Joseph, creating MamaJo.  A fitting name for the Deep Rock Tunnel project.

“The naming of the TBM (tunnel boring machine) brings a little fun to an important community project that will serve our community well for generations to come,” said Kumar Menon, Director of City Utilities.

Soon MamaJo, standing at a diameter of more than 20-feet and stretching more than 400-feet in length, will grind through bedrock to build a five-mile-long sewer tunnel, more than 200-feet under the earth’s surface.

“This massive five-mile long sewer tunnel will protect our rivers, protect neighborhoods and help support thousands of good paying jobs over the next five years,” says Menon. “It will support a renewed interest in riverfront development and business expansion, while engaging our schools and colleges in environmental improvements that will enrich our region for generations to come.”

RELATED: Fort Wayne begins drilling on Deep Rock Tunnel project

The $188-million project is expected to reduce sewer overflows into Fort Wayne’s rivers by 90%. The project should wrap up by 2021.

 

 

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