MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Seattle tunnel mining resumes, Bertha headed for city center

Jan 18, 2017, 11:20 AM | Updated: Jan 19, 2017, 9:18 am

tunnel, Bertha, SR99, Seattle tunnel...

The southbound upper roadway inside the new SR 99 tunnel was coming along in December. (WSDOT)

(WSDOT)

Crews with Seattle Tunnel Partners resumed mining under Seattle, following 10 days of maintenance on Bertha the boring machine.

The work resumed after crews replaced about 300 of nearly 500 scrapers on the machine’s cutterhead.

“Completing routine maintenance is an important part of ensuring that the machine continues to operate properly. STP will continue to perform inspections and maintenance as needed over the remainder of the tunnel drive,” according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Bertha is less than 2,500 feet from the pit that will signify the end of its journey. It will emerge near Seattle Center.

Crews excavated 691 feet in December. According to the Bertha blog, it has progressed more than 30 feet in January.

The top of Bertha’s cutterhead is about 160 feet below Third Avenue in Belltown. It remains in Zone 8.

The soil in Zone 9, which runs under Battery Street, is mostly sand and gravel and “increasingly dry,” according to WSDOT.

MyNorthwest News

Photo: Lewis and Clark High School students thought quickly to save their track coach's life....

Julia Dallas

Spokane high school students save track coach’s life after his heart stops

Two Spokane high school students used their quick thinking and past training to save their track coach's life last week.

24 minutes ago

Image: Brightly colored eggs are set on a table on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington,...

Ted Buehner

Expect good Easter weekend weather for egg hunts, chilly evening Mariners games

Both Saturday and Sunday of Easter weekend will feature temperatures warming to around 60 degrees across much of Western Washington.

13 hours ago

Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at Lumen Field on July 22, 20...

Micki Gamez, KIRO Newsradio and Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

Seattle tourism dollars break records following All-Star Week, Taylor Swift

It was a record-setting year for dollars flowing into Seattle from tourists.

14 hours ago

Image: A bridge in Carnation....

Julia Dallas

Carnation frustrated with Seattle again after 8th false emergency alarm induces widespread panic

Carnation citizens have faced a series of panic-inducing alarms after SPU's system for the Tolt Dam falsely sounded eight times.

15 hours ago

Grocery store shopper...

Bill Kaczaraba

Ways to deal with Seattle grocery store sticker shock

Seattle grocery store sticker shock continues to play havoc on locals, but there are ways to counter high prices.

15 hours ago

belltown hellcat social media...

Frank Sumrall

Infamous ‘Belltown Hellcat’ social media influencer charged with reckless driving

The social media influencer has been accused of driving 107 miles per hour through Belltown in a Dodge Hellcat.

16 hours ago

Seattle tunnel mining resumes, Bertha headed for city center