Bertha on break: What’s in store for the tunnel next
Dec 23, 2016, 5:23 AM | Updated: 9:15 am
It has been a productive year for Bertha and its crews constructing the new SR 99 tunnel underneath downtown Seattle. But now, it’s time for a break.
Crews have gone home for the holidays for the rest of 2016. Bertha is slated for some maintenance during this time, but it won’t be long before it’s back up and boring. The start of 2017 essentially marks the beginning of the home stretch for tunnel crews. Digging will begin again in early January.
Related: “Finish line in sight” for Bertha under Seattle
Bertha is in the middle of zone 8 out of 10 zones. It has less than 2,500 feet to travel before hitting its goal and heading upward.
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, “2017 will be a big year at the north portal.” That basically means Bertha is scheduled to break through the wall at the north end of the tunnel in June. It also means that streets that have been closed off will re-open, and new street connections will open. For example, Sixth Avenue North between Harrison and Mercer Streets will be a new connection in that area. Harrison Street between Taylor Avenue and Aurora Avenue will also be opening in the months leading up to the June event.
Many of these streets have been cut off by Aurora as it passes through the area. After the tunnel is opened, that will no longer be the case, adding some street connectivity to Seattle.
Where is Bertha?
Bertha recently passed under Third Avenue and Blanchard Street. Currently, the boring machine is digging under Belltown. In the months ahead, it will be passing under an apartment building built in 1978; an office building put up in 1914; a retail store built in 1923; a fire station built in 1922; the Battery Street Tunnel; an apartment building built in 1998; an office building built in 1947; and an apartment building built in 1949.
That will take Bertha near the end of zone 9, at Denny Way. From there it’s a short jaunt to connect with the north end of the tunnel.
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