As a 30-foot-wide boring machine makes its way beneath Akron, Ohio, as part of the $184 million Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel project, nearby residents are raising concerns that the dig may be affecting the structural integrity of their homes.

Courtesy of Akron Waterways Renewed

“Rosie,” Akron’s tunnel-borer, was built in nearby Solon and has a 30-foot diameter.

The OCIT is the biggest part of a program called Akron’s Waterways Renewed and involves the construction of a tunnel with a storage capacity of 25.6 million gallons to control combined sewer overflows. The tunnel is the largest capital improvement project in the city’s history.

Halfway Complete

“Rosie,” Akron’s tunnel-borer, was built in nearby Solon and has a 30-foot diameter. Boring has been ongoing since October, and the 6,240-foot tunnel is about halfway done, with the most recent status update putting Rosie at 47 percent of the way as of May 29.

But some Akron residents told FOX 8 Cleveland they started getting cracks in their walls and foundations as the project began—even as contractors began clearing land for the boring job. One Mustill Street resident said vibrations from trucks helping with the clearing began causing cracks in her walls and chimney, claiming that the house had stood undamaged for a century before the work began.

City officials told the TV station that seismic data shows no damage was sustained as a result of the project, but added that if the project were at fault, the city would work to “make it right.”

Initial work on the project began in late 2015, well before the borer took its position and began tunneling.

The OCIT project contract was awarded to the Kenny/Obayashi joint venture and is scheduled to be done by the end of this year. The tunnel will reach down from 70 to 160 feet below the surface and comprise concrete ring segments 27 feet in diameter.

The city has spent more than $390 million on improvements to its wastewater system in the past 30 years, officials say.