New schedule released for Bertha, Seattle tunnel project

Tunneling on the Seattle tunnel project is slated to resume in late November, three months later than expected.

The world’s largest tunneling machine, Bertha, has been undergoing repairs on the Seattle waterfront since March. The Washington State Department of Transportation reports that the contractor, Seattle Tunnel Partners, began installing a new main bearing on Bertha this week. It plans to fire Bertha back up on Nov. 23 after extensive testing.

“We review each schedule submittal for logic, but cannot verify its accuracy,” WSDOT tweeted Friday morning.

Related: History Channel show foreshadowed major blow to tunnel project

Bertha made it a little over 1,000 feet before overheating in December 2013. An investigation determined the machine had a damaged seal system. The main bearing also needed to be replaced. The cause of the damage is still unclear.

Bertha has about 8,000 more feet to go and Seattle Tunnel Partners estimated it will take another year of tunneling.

The SR 99 tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct is now scheduled to open to drivers in March 2018.

“The contractor’s schedule has changed, but the contract that governs their work remains the same,” said Todd Trepanier, WSDOT’s Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program administrator.

“The state is a paying customer in this transaction, and we’re intent on getting what we contracted for,” he said. “We will continue to protect taxpayers and hold the contractor responsible for their work as they deliver this vital project.”