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Isn't most of Manhattan ground solid rock? There are many other places where the ground it's just compressed dirt


Yes, but in those cases the tunnel structure itself ends up taking up load previously carried by the material that's removed. That is why the walls of the tunnel are shored up with reinforced concrete rings, which provide mechanical support AND keep out water. That's why we have tunnels that are bored only a few tens of feet in the mud under deep bodies of water, and yet don't collapse or flood.




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