SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
History Channel show foreshadowed major blow to Seattle tunnel project
May 18, 2015, 12:57 PM | Updated: 2:42 pm
A show on the History Channel, which aired two days before officials announced the Seattle tunnel project is going to be delayed even longer than originally thought, described Bertha as a disaster. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Department of Transportation)
(Photo courtesy of Washington State Department of Transportation)
The History Channel may have called it.
The latest episode of “Engineering Disasters” featured disasters such as a plane crash, chemical plant explosion and, of course, Bertha.
Bertha the Seattle tunnel boring machine was highlighted during the hour-long episode on May 16.
The episode aired two days before officials announced the project is going to be delayed even longer than originally thought. The Washington State Department of Transportation broke the news to the Seattle City Council on Monday.
“We are being lied to on a massive scale,” KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson said in reaction to the announcement.
There is no longer a time frame for the project. It is up to Seattle Tunnel Partners as to how long it will be delayed. That alone makes Dori even more skeptical of the entire project.
“This is messed up on a historic scale,” Monson added.
The project was sold to the public because of earthquake danger. So, if crews are now delaying the project further, are they responsible if people die on the viaduct? Dori asked.
Once the tunnel boring machine begins work again, there won’t be much more room for error. If it breaks down again in a half-mile, crews won’t be able to dig an access pit, Dori pointed out.
