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One year after it started, mining work on the Port Authority of Allegheny County's North Shore Connector project is complete.

Last week, the tunnel boring machine used to mine twin tunnels under the Allegheny River finished boring the second tunnel, arriving at a launch pit adjacent to PNC Park. Mining work for the second tunnel began in October 2008, when the machine left the receiving pit in downtown Pittsburgh and bored under the river at a rate of about 34 feet per day. Mining on the first tunnel began in January 2008.

The North Shore Connector calls for extending the port authority's light-rail system 1.2 miles from the Gateway Subway Station in downtown Pittsburgh, under the Allegheny River, to Pittsburgh's North Shore. The line will serve PNC Park and Heinz Field.