Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Big Bertha's got it bad

And that ain't good;
Bertha, the tunneling machine that's supposed to be digging its way under the Downtown Seattle waterfront, will start moving again by the end of March 2015, the state announced Monday.....
Bertha stopped moving in December, after hitting an obstruction about one-tenth of the way into the 1.7-mile dig, which is the centerpiece of the $3.1 billion project to replace the aging, earthquake-damaged Alaskan Way Viaduct. The machine is the world's largest tunnel borer, with a 57.5-foot diameter.
Under a schedule that contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners released Monday, the company will start building a pit late next month to access Bertha and repair damage. The company plans to remove the machine's cutter head and start repairing damage to the seal system and main bearing in October, test the machine in February and then resume digging.
Which hardly fazes the Washington State Dept of Transportation;
Todd Trepanier, Alaskan Way Viaduct program administrator for WSDOT, said: "We are disappointed by this delay, but we believe the new schedule is moving in the right direction. We'll continue to work with STP in their efforts to resume tunneling."
When time is other peoples' money.

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