Digging resumes on Bertha repair pit
Nov 3, 2014, 1:29 PM | Updated: 1:56 pm
Seattle Tunnel Partners have resumed digging a repair pit to access the stalled tunnel drilling machine sitting idle under the waterfront.
State archaeologists have determined shell deposits discovered on Oct. 23 are the product of commercial shellfish activities carried out by Seattleites around the turn of the 20th century.
The shell’s discovery stopped work on the access pit, but crews received the “all clear” on Sunday.
Archaeologists will continue studying the shells in a laboratory.
“No one wants to stop work,” the Washington State Department of Transportation said in a news release Monday. “We understand and share the urgency of the public in wanting to resume tunneling as quickly and safely as possible.”
WSDOT said in the week since the shells were unearthed, it received many questions about the laws that govern the process of investigating archaeological finds.
“If a potentially significant resource is discovered, WSDOT stops work to investigate, as required by state and federal laws.” (Read more from WSDOT about its process.)
Construction cameras were disabled while archaeologists were investigating the shell deposit, but WSDOT said those will be back online soon so that the public can watch STP work to get Bertha moving again.
Bertha has been stalled since Dec. 2013 – about 1,000 feet into the tunnel dig. WSDOT spokesperson Laura Newborn told KIRO Radio she did not have an update on the tunnel timeline. WSDOT has said Bertha is expected to begin digging again in March 2015.
