CHARLOTTE, NC – The Lane Construction Corporation, the U.S. subsidiary of Webuild Group, has completed the Ship Canal Water Quality Project in Washington, after achieving Substantial Completion in November 2025. The project completes a major underground storage tunnel designed to significantly reduce polluted stormwater and sewage from entering the Lake Washington Ship Canal, Salmon Bay, and Lake Union.
The $255 million project—developed through a partnership between the City of Seattle and King County and delivered to Seattle Public Utilities—represents a critical investment in protecting regional waterways and public health.
In many older Seattle neighborhoods, including Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, and Queen Anne, stormwater and sewage are carried through the same pipe system. While these systems function effectively during dry weather, heavy rainfall can overwhelm capacity. When that occurs, combined sewer overflows (CSOs)—a mixture of approximately 90% stormwater and 10% sewage—are discharged into nearby waterways. These overflows can introduce harmful pollutants that threaten aquatic ecosystems and public health.
The newly completed tunnel—measuring 2.7 miles in length and 18 feet, 10 inches in diameter—provides a solution by capturing and temporarily storing excess flows during storm events. Located in the city of Seattle, the tunnel has the capacity to hold more than 29.6 million gallons of stormwater and wastewater. Once storm conditions subside, the stored water is conveyed to a treatment plant for proper processing.
Project Benefits
- Prevents up to 75 million gallons of polluted stormwater and sewage from entering local waterways annually
- Improves water quality, supporting healthier ecosystems and wildlife habitats
- Enhances resilience to increasingly frequent and intense storm events
Construction of the tunnel was completed using a tunnel boring machine (TBM) named MudHoney. The 20-foot-diameter TBM was equipped with 41-disc cutters, 52 knife cutters, and 16 buckets, enabling precise and efficient excavation throughout the project.
Lane’s tunneling portfolio includes more than 100 miles—over half a million feet—and more than 200 projects valued in the billions of dollars. Its tunneling expertise is evident in some of America’s largest cities, including Cleveland, Portland, Las Vegas, Chicago, New York, Dallas, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Current projects include the Ohio River Tunnel in Pennsylvania and the Palisades Tunnel in New Jersey.
About Lane Construction
The Lane Construction Corporation is one of America’s leading construction companies, specializing in large, complex civil infrastructure. For over 135 years, it has contributed to the development of the country’s transportation systems including the Interstate Highway System and a vast network of roads, bridges, airports, metros and railways. Lane specializes in mobility, tunneling, and water resources to address sustainable development and climate change adaptation challenges. It is also a pioneer in project delivery methods and the use of design-build and public-private partnerships. Lane projects include the I-275/SR 60 Westshore Interchange in Florida; the Palisades Tunnel project in New Jersey; the 495 NEXT project in Virginia; and the Kansas City Levees project in Missouri. Based in Charlotte, NC, it is wholly owned by Webuild, a global infrastructure group. For more information, visit www.laneconstruct.com.
About Webuild Group
Webuild is a global leader in the construction of large, complex infrastructure for sustainable mobility, hydropower, water and wastewater treatment and management, and green buildings. Its primacy is reflected in the 2026 rankings of trade publication Engineering News-Record (ENR), which confirmed its leadership in the water sector and placed it among the top 10 global contractors in transportation. Webuild helps deliver projects that transform communities and regions, creating lasting social, economic, and environmental value. Active in approximately 50 countries with a workforce of more than 85,000 people, direct and indirect, Webuild boasts more than 120 years of history and over 3,700 completed projects. Its track record includes 13,686 kilometres of railways, 895 kilometres of metros, 82,708 kilometres of roads and highways, 1,023 kilometres of bridges and viaducts, 3,466 kilometres of tunnels, and 320 dams and hydropower plants. Webuild has delivered some of the world’s most iconic projects, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the expansion of the Panama Canal, the Long Beach International Gateway in the United States, the Second Bridge over the Bosphorus in Turkey, and the Riachuelo environmental restoration system in Argentina. It has also contributed to the development of advanced urban mobility systems in major cities, including Copenhagen, Paris, Rome, Milan, Naples, Doha, Thessaloniki, and Riyadh. Today, Webuild is engaged in the construction of some of the most strategic infrastructure projects in Italy and elsewhere, such as the New Genoa Breakwater, the Brenner Base Tunnel, the Pedemontana Lombarda Highway, Rome Metro’s Line C, and sections of the Genoa–Milan, Verona–Padua and Naples–Bari high-speed/high-capacity railways, as well as the Palermo–Catania–Messina line. It is also involved in the Snowy 2.0 hydropower scheme in Australia, key sections of the Grand Paris Express in France, and the expansion of the Riyadh Metro in Saudi Arabia. As of December 31, 2025, Webuild reported total revenues of €13.6 billion. As of June 30, 2026, its total order backlog amounted to €53.7 billion, with more than 95% of its construction backlog related to projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Headquartered in Italy and subject to the direction and coordination of Salini Costruttori S.p.A., Webuild is listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (WBD; WBD.MI; WBD:IM). For more information visit www.webuildgroup.com.