MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Where’s Bertha? Machine breaks into new zone under Seattle

Nov 18, 2016, 5:41 AM | Updated: 8:49 am

Bertha...

Bertha is about 265 feet below the surface, roughly the height of this building that stands above it. (WSDOT)

(WSDOT)

Bertha entered a new phase of its journey underneath Seattle — zone 7.

Zone 7 runs from Stewart Street to Lenora Street moving diagonally from First Avenue to Second Avenue as it starts to curve toward its end goal near Denny Street.

The boring machine left zone 6 earlier this month. It is currently about 265 feet below the surface.

Bertha has moved 5,681 feet under downtown Seattle and crews have constructed 865 concrete rings to form the tunnel.

Bertha is under Virginia Street as it passes an alleyway running behind the buildings between First and Second Avenues.

There are a handful of buildings directly above Bertha on Virginia Street at the moment. At the northwest corner is a construction site where a tower is being built. There’s surface parking and a concrete building built in 1916 at the northeast corner of the street. At the southeast corner is another concrete building built in 1923. And at the southwest corner is a mixed-use condominium building constructed in 1994.

MyNorthwest News

seattle gas works park toxic...

BRANDON THOMPSON, KIRO 7

Seattle’s Gas Works Park sits atop a toxic legacy, cleanup is still years away

This summer at Gas Works Park, a new sound brought a fresh conversation to a decades-old problem: contamination from the land’s past life as a coal-oil plant.

17 minutes ago

pituitary tumor brain surgery...

Luke Duecy

Duecy: I had a pituitary tumor. Brain surgery changed my life in ways I never expected

A nurse wheeled my hospital bed into Operating Room 3 at Swedish Cherry Hill. I had spent weeks preparing for the removal of a benign tumor in my brain.

58 minutes ago

wafd bank merger florida...

MyNorthwest Staff

WaFd entering $3.9 billion merger with Florida-based EverBank, creating $75 billion banking giant

One of the largest banks in Washington, WaFd, has entered into a $3.9 billion reverse merger with EverBank Financial Corp.

2 hours ago

bikini barista wage theft lawsuit...

KIRO 7 News Staff

Bikini baristas win $1.8 million wage theft lawsuit against espresso stand owner

Bikini baristas in Washington are celebrating a judge’s decision after winning a drawn-out wage-theft case against the owner of Beehive Espresso.

2 hours ago

beth's cafe reopens...

KIRO 7 News Staff

Beth’s Cafe reopens 24/7 service

According to a social media post on July 31, after months of gradually expanding its hours, Greenlake’s beloved Beth’s Cafe is now open 24/7.

4 hours ago

voter turnout washington midterm...

Charlie Harger

Harger: 5 things about WA’s midterms, for people who blissfully ignored politics all summer

It's the day after Labor Day, and political prognosticators will tell you this is the time to start paying a bit more attention to the upcoming elections.

4 hours ago

Where’s Bertha? Machine breaks into new zone under Seattle