Bertha hasn’t been blessed with the best of luck in Seattle, but the world’s largest tunnel boring machine is back to drilling again for now.
The Seattle Tunnel Partners announced that the Washington State Department of Transportation has decided to conditionally lift the suspension for cause that Gov. Jay Inslee enacted in January following the formation of a sink hole and a barge overturning.
The Seattle Times has reported that Bertha bored about three feet in a few hours on the first day back to drilling on Tuesday. STP has been granted permission to drill a total of 160 feet in order to lay 25 more of the 6.5-foot concrete tunnel rings that make the tunnel’s walls.
However, the tunnel’s builders are being asked to show that changes have been made to ensure safety during the dangerous project.
While STP maintained that the suspension was wrongful, the contractors made the following changes as required by WSDOT before the drilling could resume:
The changes satisfied acting WSDOT Sec. Roger Millar, who said that lifting the suspension allows STP to prove they’ve made the right changes in order to continue work on the project.
“Above all else, this project has always been about safety,” Millar said. “We must continue our work to replace the viaduct, but we have an obligation to ensure that work proceeds safely. We will continue to work with STP while taking whatever steps are necessary to protect the interests of the public moving forward.”
