Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Tunnel

[jakeroot]

Suppose once the maintenance is completed, Bertha breaks down yet again? Is there any possibility of the tunnel being outright cancelled along its full length and being replaced by a surface boulevard partway?

No. That would be way too expensive.

As opposed to rescuing Bertha again if she breaks down somewhere we can't just dig straight down?  Like under a building?  Could easily have happened...

The tunnel route goes right under parts of Pike Place Market, which would make it unreachable.

Bertha didn't break down. She hit a pipe (a collision is not considered a break down, AFAIC). As long as they don't hit any more fucking pipes, she'll make it (as every tunnel-boring machine before her has managed to do).

Could she fall apart under Pike Place Market? Yeah, probably. But chances are slim. And even if it did, I bet they could figure out a way to get to her. I mean, they don't have to replace the head unless it gets all f'ed up again.

[kkt]

Bertha didn't break down. She hit a pipe (a collision is not considered a break down, AFAIC).

We don't know that.  The only people who know what happened aren't talking, until the inevitable lawsuit.

[jakeroot]

Bertha didn't break down. She hit a pipe (a collision is not considered a break down, AFAIC).

We don't know that.  The only people who know what happened aren't talking, until the inevitable lawsuit.

So you're saying that the pipe collision coincides with the machine breaking down?

[Alps]

Bertha didn't break down. She hit a pipe (a collision is not considered a break down, AFAIC).

We don't know that.  The only people who know what happened aren't talking, until the inevitable lawsuit.

Yeah, well, that's smart of them. Better to piss off curious people than say the wrong thing (or the right thing the wrong way) and go on record.

[Bruce]

Took the Milepost 31 tour recently and took some pictures of our $3 billion mega-tunnel project at three locations, with a few panoramas mixed in. Enjoy.

Re-posted from my photos thread.

SR 99 Tour viewing platform


Bertha TBM model at Milepost 31 by SounderBruce, on Flickr


SR 99 Tunnel rendering on a wall inside Milepost 31 by SounderBruce, on Flickr


SR 99 Tunnel south portal site by SounderBruce, on Flickr


SR 99 Tunnel south portal by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Alaskan Way Viaduct bypass underside by SounderBruce, on Flickr


SR 99 Tour viewing platform panorama by SounderBruce, on Flickr

Bertha TBM retrieval and repair


Bertha TBM retrieval site shed by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Bertha TBM retrieval site crane by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Bertha TBM gutted at retrieval site by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Bertha's shed, the viaduct and RapidRide by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Bertha TBM retrieval site shed by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Bertha TBM retrieval site by SounderBruce, on Flickr

South Atlantic Street overpass


SR 99 Tunnel south portal by SounderBruce, on Flickr


SR 99 Tunnel south portal by SounderBruce, on Flickr


SR 99 Tunnel south portal from Atlantic Street by SounderBruce, on Flickr


SR 99 Tunnel south portal and Seattle skyline from Atlantic Street by SounderBruce, on Flickr


SR 99 Tunnel south portal from Atlantic Street by SounderBruce, on Flickr


Seattle skyline from Atlantic Street by SounderBruce, on Flickr

[The Ghostbuster]

Has construction restarted yet?

[jakeroot]

Has construction restarted yet?

It's very close to starting again (relatively speaking). All the necessary bits are back in the hole ready to be re-assembled.

[noelbotevera]

Already there's a problem with restarting. Where's the money? We can't do this Big Dig style, it's either leave the structure to rest or just give up and gap WA 99 through Seattle. Three billion dollars is a problem to raise. It's wonderful how other cities raise billions of dollars.

[AlexandriaVA]

This is truly one of the great American road projects presently going on right now, and it's getting very little attention on the East Coast. I think that the delays and hangups are understandable. It's not like we're talking about laying down a new surface road on flat farmland. You're talking about hydrographic, geologic, and urban issues all affecting the project.

[Rothman]

Already there's a problem with restarting. Where's the money? We can't do this Big Dig style, it's either leave the structure to rest or just give up and gap WA 99 through Seattle. Three billion dollars is a problem to raise. It's wonderful how other cities raise billions of dollars.

Pfft.  The federal funds were authorized before the project was let.  They'll be spending more money, but the planning for setting up the funds was probably started a couple years ago.

[Henry]

Already there's a problem with restarting. Where's the money? We can't do this Big Dig style, it's either leave the structure to rest or just give up and gap WA 99 through Seattle. Three billion dollars is a problem to raise. It's wonderful how other cities raise billions of dollars.

Neither is an option; the determination is already there to finish the tunnel, no matter how far behind schedule and over budget it may get.

[seicer]

Any, um, progress?

[jakeroot]

Any, um, progress?

There's progress every day, it's just not always visible.

Tunneling should resume this Monday, the 21st: http://q13fox.com/2015/12/18/bertha-to-resume-digging-seattle-tunnel-monday/

The portals on either end of the tunnel are still under construction as well. Their construction never shut down.

[Bruce]

Tunneling estimates got pushed back from late November to "by December 24".

The access/recovery pit is being filled with sand for the machine to bore through. One of the arms had a small issue that got fixed.

[The Ghostbuster]

What is the new estimated completion date, if there is one?

[Bruce]

What is the new estimated completion date, if there is one?

August 2018.

[mcarling]

August 2018 for the road to open, not for completion of tunnel boring, right?

[jakeroot]

August 2018 for the road to open, not for completion of tunnel boring, right?

Sorry, but I have to...



The tunnel boring has to be complete for the road to open, so August 2018 is the final, all good-to-go date.

[davewiecking]

When is the tunnel boring work scheduled to be completed, having nothing to do with construction of the roadbed, installation of the utilities, etc, etc.? Sheesh.

[jakeroot]

When is the tunnel boring work scheduled to be completed, having nothing to do with construction of the roadbed, installation of the utilities, etc, etc.? Sheesh.

Not sure if the timeline gets that exact. The WSDOT timeline shows TBD for most of the unfinished business: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/Schedule

[davewiecking]

Not sure if the timeline gets that exact. The WSDOT timeline shows TBD for most of the unfinished business: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/Schedule

Good link. Buried beyond it: "Noteworthy dates not show on the critical-path schedule: March 2016: Tunnel under viaduct; January 2017: Complete tunneling."

(Edited to add another interesting link: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/About/FollowBertha)

[jakeroot]

Not sure if the timeline gets that exact. The WSDOT timeline shows TBD for most of the unfinished business: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/Schedule

Good link. Buried beyond it: "Noteworthy dates not show on the critical-path schedule: March 2016: Tunnel under viaduct; January 2017: Complete tunneling."

I knew I should have clicked one of those schedule links.

(Edited to add another interesting link: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/About/FollowBertha)

That's a great website. They update it a lot.

[mcarling]

Thank you davewiecking!

[Henry]

And it looks like they should get back to work now! I find it quite a coincidence that they're scheduled to continue digging on the same date that will go down in history as an event that never occurred three years ago, like the Mayans once said it would.

[NE2]

And it looks like they should get back to work now! I find it quite a coincidence that they're scheduled to continue digging on the same date that will go down in history as an event that never occurred three years ago, like the Mayans once said it would.

what the fuck