Bertha is about to complete her journey under Seattle
Mar 24, 2017, 9:10 AM
Workers with Seattle Tunnel Partners prepare for Bertha to reach the end of what will be the new SR 99 tunnel. (WSDOT)
(WSDOT)
Bertha is almost ready to surface.
WATCH: You’ve never seen Bertha like this before
Seattle Tunnel Partners is making final preparations for the State Route 99 boring machine’s arrival at the pit near Seattle Center.
There’s no word on exactly when Bertha’s breakthrough will happen. On Thursday, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced the machine had about 320 feet to go.
Today Bertha has 320 feet to go – less than the @Mariners 326' right-field foul line in @SafecoField. Updates: https://t.co/TGpHDjnwDH pic.twitter.com/FiGO0VuRCI
— Bertha (@BerthaDigsSR99) March 23, 2017
Bertha first began boring her way under Seattle in 2013. Late that year, the machine hit a snag after running into a pipe, as well as loose soil.
Repairs on the machine lasted until 2015.
Underway once again, Bertha’s progress was more steady as it bored under downtown Seattle. The machine reached the halfway mark near the end of last year.
As of Thursday evening, Bertha had traveled 8,950 of the total 9,270 feet. Bertha has gone 640 feet this month.
The Highway 99 tunnel is set to open in 2019.
Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest
