A yawning gap existed in the third ring road in Moscow that was to be closed by a tunnel of a size and scale hitherto undreamt of in Russia. A tunnel with an exterior diameter of over 14 meters was needed to accommodate the traffic lines required as well as emergency facilities and supply installations on a lower deck. Within a very tight time scale from starting tunnelling to opening the tunnel, both the buildings in the city center and the Jausa River had to be tunnelled under. At the same time, the problems presented by varying geological conditions and localized areas of high groundwater pressure had to be overcome.

The solution for this unique landmark project comprised not only the delivery of the Herrenknecht Mixshield S-164, equipped with accessible cutting wheel spokes, an active center cutter and the sonic softground probing system, SSP. Herrenknecht had put together an innovative, comprehensive package for its customer, covering all peripheral jobsite facilities from trucks up to the separation plant. The jobsite team's expertise together with high-performance Herrenknecht technology ensured the project's successful completion: 2.2 kilometers of large-diameter tunnel - mechanically excavated in 15 months.