Sprinkler malfunction closes Battery Street Tunnel after WSDOT claimed fix

Update from WSDOT: The broken sprinkler part will be delivered in two weeks. Installation and testing should be completed within a month.

—Original story—

Two days after explaining the broken regulator behind the aging sprinkler system won’t be a nuisance again, the Battery Street Tunnel was once again shut down. The culprit? That aging sprinkler system that wouldn’t be a nuisance again.

Just this past Sunday evening, around 5:30 p.m., the tunnel’s sprinkler system was activated, causing an hour-long closure of Highway 99. It was the fourth such closure in just a six month period.

Related: The Bertha blame game begins

On Monday, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) assistant regional administrator Dave McCormick, explained that they found the issue with the system and it was being addressed.

When asked if people should expect another sprinkler malfunction, McCormick told KIRO-TV, “No, I’m pretty sure we’ve got this taken care of.”

WSDOT does not have this taken care of.

Last night, around 10:30 p.m., the tunnel was shut down again. Both WSDOT and the Seattle Department of Transportation confirm that the sprinklers were activated, causing the shutdown. They had few other details.

To be fair, the sprinkler system is aging, and as we reported this week, had Bertha not broken down and the viaduct replacement was on schedule, the Battery Street Tunnel would have been decommissioned. But it’s safe to say when you tell the public this issue has been addressed, then less than two full days later the problem recurs, you’ll have some egg on your face.

It remains unclear what activated the sprinklers this time, but neither WSDOT nor SDOT explained it was due to anything other than another malfunction.