SEATTLE -- Bertha the tunnel-boring machine has now excavated 117 feet of the 385 feet needed before the SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct can reopen to traffic.
Seattle Tunnel Partners has installed 17 rings since mining started up again on Friday, WSDOT announced Tuesday morning.
State transportation officials also released new drone video showing progress inside the tunnel.
"Just a few days before the SR 99 tunneling machine started tunneling under the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the Washington State Department of Transportation flew a video-equipped drone through the SR 99 tunnel to show Seattle Tunnel Partners’ construction progress," WSDOT said. "On an average day, the tunnel is bustling with construction. To avoid disrupting crews, this video was recorded in between regular work shifts."
The tunneling machine is nearly one-third of the distance it needs to go before the viaduct can reopen.
Here's WSDOT's recap of the morning commute: