MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Bertha is about to dig near Seattle’s Pike Place Market

Aug 29, 2016, 2:59 PM | Updated: 4:23 pm

bertha zone 6...

Bertha has entered zone 6, out of 10 zones. It is now underneath an old railway tunnel and sewer line. (WSDOT)

(WSDOT)

Bertha has finished digging through five of the 10 zones needed for completion of the new SR 99 tunnel under downtown Seattle. Now in zone 6, it will soon dig along side the Pike Place Market.

This is how tall the rings are that Bertha is building

The machine has entered zone 6, though that doesn’t mean the job is 50 percent complete. Not all of the 10 zones are equal in length. In fact, Bertha is about 45 percent done with the job.

Bertha Zone 6

Currently, the machine is under 1st Avenue and Union Street. That places it under a combination of newer, and rather old downtown Seattle buildings. At approximately 170 feet below the surface, Bertha is also below an underground railway tunnel built in 1904, and a major sewer tunnel that connects downtown sewers to the West Point Treatment Plant.

Bertha will now continue to travel underneath 1st Avenue until it reaches Stewart Street where it will start to curve left toward its end goal. Zone 6 runs from Union to Stewart, and is about 1,050 feet. Within that distance, Bertha will pass along the east side of Pike Place Market.

Bertha has bored 745 feet so far this August, with two days left in the month. That is considerably more than July’s 312 feet, though the machine was stopped for half of the month to undergo maintenance.

MyNorthwest News

Photo: On Monday, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced there will be 16 new preschool classrooms across Se...

Julia Dallas

Harrell’s office announces Seattle preschool slots for thousands of kids

Thousands more families will have the chance to start their children's Seattle preschool education earlier, thanks to a program launching.

6 hours ago

Digital...

Micki Gamez

How parents can help prevent children from falling victim to online sex crimes

Chances are, if your teen has a cell phone or tablet, they either know someone or they have been the victim of an online sex crime because kids as young as seven are online more than ever. My interest in this story began almost the same time last year when my daughter came home and […]

10 hours ago

Pierce County Jail...

Bill Kaczaraba

Pierce County Corrections chief at odds with the employee guild

The Corrections Bureau's Guild has issued Patti Jackson a vote of 'no confidence,' as reported by The Tacoma News Tribune.

12 hours ago

Image: A Seattle Police Department vehicle seen during the day...

Sam Campbell

Security guard stabbed, suspect barricades inside Beacon Hill apartment

SWAT officers surrounded a complex in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood after police said a man stabbed a guard barricaded himself inside.

13 hours ago

seattle indecent exposure...

Frank Sumrall

Seattle man arrested for 14 counts of indecent exposure, most near schools

A 34-year-old man was arrested by Seattle police (SPD) in connection to 14 counts of indecent exposure near Lake Forest Park.

13 hours ago

Federal Way shootings...

Bill Kaczaraba

Federal Way Police say two shootings are related

Police believe two shootings in Federal Way are related.

16 hours ago

Bertha is about to dig near Seattle’s Pike Place Market