Bertha tunneling machine starts slow dig toward access pit for repairs
SEATTLE (AP) — Bertha is on the move.
WSDOT: Ready to restart Bertha this week
SEATTLE (AP) — State transportation officials say they are getting ready to restart the tunnel-boring project in downtown Seattle.The Washington Department of Transportation says the machine digging the tunnel will be ready to restart sometime in the next week.The state says the giant rotary drill, known as Bertha, will have to be stopped periodically to allow it to cool off, since the machine has a tendency to overheat.Transportation officials do not have an estimate of how long it will take the tunnel boring machine, known as Bertha, to cut through 20 feet of concrete.The machine first overheated more than a year ago and has moved only a few feet since then.
Four injured in SR 99 tunnel project after wall collapse, 25-foot fall
SEATTLE -- Emergency crews were called to the northern part of the SR 99 tunnel project Thursday after four people were injured in an accident at the construction site.The men were hurt on the project around 1:30 p.m. in the 300 block of Aurora Avenue North when a portion of an elevator wall they were standing on collapsed, sending them 25 feet to the ground, Seattle Fire Spokesperson Kyle Moore said.Three of the injured workers crawled their way out of the pit, Moore said.
LIVE BLOG: Four injured in SR 99 tunnel project after wall collapse, 25-foot fall
SEATTLE -- Emergency crews were called to the northern part of the SR 99 tunnel project Thursday after four people were injured in an accident at the construction site.The men were hurt on the project around 1:30 p.m. in the 300 block of Aurora Avenue North when a portion of an elevator wall they were standing on collapsed, sending them 25 feet to the ground, Seattle Fire Spokesperson Kyle Moore said.Three of the injured workers crawled their way out of the pit, Moore said.
What's next now that Bertha's 120-foot deep access pit is excavated? (VIDEO)
SEATTLE -- Now that the Bertha access pit has been excavated, officials say the next step in reaching the SR 99 tunneling machine is to dig through the concrete wall at the bottom of the pit.WSDOT tweeted a photo of the 120-foot deep access pit which crews finished excavating on January 30th.Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program administrator Todd Trepanier says Seattle Tunnel Partners have been building a concrete cradle at the bottom of the pit.
Tunnel contractor completes excavation of 120-foot-deep pit to access damaged Bertha machine
SEATTLE -- Seattle Tunnel Partners announced Friday that the digging of the 120-foot-deep pit to be used to access and repair the damaged Bertha boring machine has been completed."Crews removed the final scoop of soil from the pit on Friday," STP, the contractor, said in a news release. "Approximately 20,000 cubic yards of material was removed from the ground over the course of excavation, which began in mid-October."Crews will now begin construction of a concrete cradle at the bottom of the pit that will support the machine after it moves through the pit's southern all.The length of time it takes Bertha to reach the pit will depend largely on her ability to mine through and digest the concrete.
State Senate committee chairman says bill to kill Bertha tunneling project is DOA
OLYMPIA -- Two Republican state senators proposed new legislation that would scrap the tunnel-boring project in Seattle and retrofit the Alaskan Way Viaduct instead.Sens.
Bye Bye Bertha? Senate bill would end tunnel project
SEATTLE (AP) — Two state senators want to kill the Seattle tunnel project and bury Bertha, the broken down drilling machine, so the transportation department can start over.Republican senators Michael Baumgartner and Doug Ericksen introduced a bill Tuesday that says the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project has failed.
Seattle City Council getting Bertha update on Monday
SEATTLE (AP) _ The Seattle City Council expects to learn more Monday about the extent of problems from the attempt to repair the machine that broke down while boring a highway tunnel under the city.State Transportation Department officials are briefing the council about cracks in streets and buildings and settling by buildings in the Pioneer Square area near the Alaskan Way Viaduct.Officials believe the cracks and settling may have been caused by pumping out groundwater as crews dig a pit to reach and repair the stalled boring machine known as Bertha.The council wants to know about contingency plans to shut down the viaduct while the tunnel that would carry Highway 99 is far from finished.
Sinking street discovered near Bertha tunneling project in Seattle
SEATTLE — City and state transportation officials are investigating a street adjacent to the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project in Seattle because a portion of the road is cracked and sinking.Concerns about structures and the viaduct near Pioneer Square were raised this week when transportation officials reported their monitors detected at least an inch of settlement near the tunnel-repair access pit.
WSDOT denies report of 'uneven settling' near Alaskan Way Viaduct, work on Bertha access tunnel remains stopped
SEATTLE (AP) — The state Transportation Department says the contractor building a highway tunnel under downtown Seattle has stopped work at a pit needed to access the stalled boring machine called Bertha.Settling has been detected in the area around the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
Officials to inspect Bertha tunnel site after ground settlement detected
SEATTLE (AP) — Washington transportation officials are conducting inspections this weekend around the Alaskan Way Viaduct Tunnel Project after a monitoring system detected some ground settling in the area.The Washington State Department of Transportation's monitor detected about an inch of settlement near the pit that is being dug so workers can access Bertha, the tunneling machine, for repairs.
Dig to reach 'Bertha' halted after discovery of possible 'cultural materials' in pit
SEATTLE -- The effort to reach and repair the Bertha tunneling machine on Seattle's waterfront was halted Thursday after possible "cultural materials" were found in the excavation pit, the Washington Department of Transportation said."WSDOT archaeologists monitoring the access pit excavation observed a deposit containing shell material that requires further evaluation and may indicate the presence of cultural materials," WSDOT said on its website. "No artifacts or human remains were found."WSDOT has very strict protocols when archeological material is discovered and those protocols were followed today," it said."Excavation activities in the access pit have stopped and we are now coordinating with the Federal Highway Administration and tribal governments, and the Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation to determine the next steps."On Monday, the contractor on the multibillion-dollar project, Seattle Tunnel Partners, began digging a circular pt that crews will use to access and repair Bertha, which has been stalled underground since last December.Bertha is supposed to dig a tunnel under Seattle's waterfront that will replace the aging Alaskan Way Viaduct.
Highway 99 tunnel project tops public interest group's list of 'highway boondoggles' (PHOTOS)
SEATTLE -- A public interest group based in Washington, D.C. placed the Highway 99 tunnel project at the top of its list of "Highway Boondoggles: Wasted Money and America’s Transportation Future."On the same day, Washington State Department of Transportation officials gave the media an inside look at Bertha, the stuck Highway 99 tunneling machine.The boring machine under Seattle's waterfront broke down last December.The delays to Bertha have pushed back the tunnel's opening by at least a year.WSDOT officials said Thursday they are optimistic that repairs will be successful.Meanwhile, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group recommended that the tunnel should not be built.Here's an excerpt from the group's report:
Tunnel Trouble: Contractor asks for $125M from state for Bertha stoppage
SEATTLE -- Seattle Tunnel Partners, the contractor behind the troubled tunnel project to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, filed a $125 million bill with the state because of the Bertha work stoppage, the Washington State Department of Transportation confirmed Tuesday."WSDOT received a $125 million request from Seattle Tunnel Partners for the stoppage," the department said. "WSDOT has denied that request."WSDOT and STP will use processes laid out in the contract to determine the next steps and who is responsible for costs associated with the stoppage," the statement said. "We have seen no evidence that suggests WSDOT or taxpayers will be responsible for costs associated with the current delay."BELOW IS FROM EARLIER STORYJohn McAllister runs Argen Safe and Lock at Alaskan Way and South Main Street -- just a stone's throw away from the tunnel construction site.Like a lot of business owners, he’s frustrated with the tunnel project and word of a new delay -- until March 2015 -- doesn't sit well."Just more hectic, because sometimes they're doing construction they close the street so you can't get to work.
Bertha now won't dig again for nearly a year: Who pays for this?
SEATTLE -- The State Route 99 tunneling machine won't resume digging until the end of March 2015 the Washington State Department of Transportation said in a release Monday, possibly delaying the tunnel completion.The major announcement is perhaps the biggest revelation yet in a project that has been riddled with problems since the $80 million machine began work in 2013.Seattle Tunnel Partners, the project's design-build contractor, will dig a pit in order to access the stalled tunneling machine later this month.
Expect more noise as crews try to fix Bertha
SEATTLE -- It's going to take much more than we first thought to get Bertha, the boring machine, moving once again.“It’s always frustrating to not see the progress going on with the project,” Fairlook Antiques owner Michael Fairley said.
Tunnel on hold: Damaged Bertha won’t dig again for at least 6 months
SEATTLE -- The Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed in both directions for inspections this weekend.