Lane (Webuild Group) joint venture wins us$ 1 billion (€876 million) contract for Ohio River Tunnel Project in Pennsylvania

Lane, in a joint-venture with Brayman Construction Corporation, to deliver first major tunnel of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) Regional Tunnel System: approximately 8 kilometres of deep hydraulic tunnels, including vertical shafts and associated surface infrastructure

With this project, Webuild and Lane further leverage consolidated expertise, backed by global track record of 3,466 kilometres of tunnels built worldwide

MILAN, June 3, 2026 – A new landmark project for environmental protection in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania is set to take shape in Pittsburgh with the help of Lane, a subsidiary of the Webuild Group. The Ohio River Tunnel will be a cornerstone of the new Regional Tunnel System, part of the Clean Water Plan pursued by the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) to reduce combined sewer overflows during heavy rainfall. The US$1-billion (€876 million) contract will be delivered by Lane (holding a 50-percent stake), in a joint-venture with local partner Brayman.

The tunnel, to be located between 36 and 45 metres below ground, will bring prevent direct discharges of untreated water into the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers. This transformative project for regional water infrastructure combines precision engineering with a modern vision of integrated water management and environmental protection.

The Ohio River Tunnel will act as an underground river, an engineered channel designed to improve water quality across the greater Pittsburgh area. Excess flows of untreated water will be captured, conveyed into a deep tunnel, temporarily stored and ultimately pumped to an upgraded wastewater treatment plant.

The tunnel is part of the Clean Water Plan that will combine deep tunnels, pumping systems and upgraded treatment facilities to safeguard the region’s waterways. The tunnel is the first of three planned under the Regional Tunnel System. Along with the future Allegheny River Tunnel and Monongahela River Tunnel, it will reduce the city’s vulnerability to sudden rain storms, delivering benefits to the river ecosystem. 

The project includes excavation of approximately 8 kilometres (4.9 miles) of tunnels and multiple shafts. The main hydraulic tunnel, with a diameter of more than 5 metres (18 feet), will extend for roughly 6 kilometres (3.8 miles). It will be excavated using a new tunnel-boring machine (TBM). Two secondary tunnels – the Chartiers Creek Tunnel and the Saw Mill Run Tunnel – will connect to the main tunnel, each slightly 4 metres in diameter and measuring approximately 1.3 kilometres (4,500 feet) and 500 metres (1,600 feet) in length, respectively. Surface works are also planned, including several flow regulators, two technical buildings and a new river outfall. All surface infrastructure will be carefully integrated into the urban environment, with a minimal footprint.

For the delivery of the Ohio River Tunnel, Lane brings highly specialised capabilities, while Webuild contributes its extensive international experience in hydraulic tunneling. The Group has one of the largest TBM fleets in the world, with 60 of these machines – in operation, in the process of being assembled, or having been ordered – for projects across the globe.

In the United States, Lane has already completed more than 160 kilometres (over 100 miles) of tunnels for water and urban infrastructure systems across more than 200 projects. This portfolio includes major projects such as the Northeast Boundary Tunnel (NEBT) and the Anacostia River Tunnel, part of Washington, D.C.’s wastewater management system; the Ship Canal Water Quality Project in Washington State; and the Palisades Tunnel in New Jersey, the first mechanized tunneling contract awarded within the broader Hudson River Tunnel Project (HTP).