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WASHINGTON STATE Open Thread
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Bertha - Drill Baby Drill! Largest drilling machine in the world.
Definition of a boondoggle: An unnecessary or wasteful project or activity.
Bertha is a 57 foot diameter tunnel boring machine built specifically to till the tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel.
Bertha is named after a former Seattle Mayor, Bertha Knight Landes.
Bertha started drilling in July, 2013 and tunnel drilling was slated to be completed in just 14 months (September, 2014).
In December, 2013 Bertha had tunneled approximately 1000 feet when the machine hit a buried metal pipe left over from a previous drilling project. l
In February 2014, as Bertha was preparing to continue drilling, it was discovered it was overheating due to a damaged main bearing seal. Bertha was idled for repair again and not expected to be back in operation until March 2015.
In December 2014 settlement of one inch was discovered.
Public safety is our top priority, which is why we installed a state-of-the-art settlement monitoring system as part of the SR 99 Tunnel Project. Recently, that system detected approximately one inch of ground settlement near the pit Seattle Tunnel Partners is building to access and repair the tunneling machine. We have also seen the same amount of settlement on the Alaskan Way Viaduct; the amount of settlement lessens in the surrounding area.
The latest timeframe for the resumption of drilling is now projected to be late July 2015.
The overall project is now slated for completion in September, 2018.
Follow below the orange hairpiece for more.
Alaskan Way Viaduct
The history:
The Alaskan Way viaduct was completed in April, 1953. In 2001 is was damaged by the Nisqually earthquake. In 2005, a group of researchers advised political officials to close the viaduct within a two-year timeframe.
Several options were developed. The first was a six-lane tunnel.
The tunnel was envisioned to solve not only the viaduct's traffic limitations and safety problems, but also to allow better uses for the waterfront real estate, including parks, housing, and retail developments. While future development of the Alaskan Way real estate corridor may provide tax revenue for the city, many state lawmakers objected to the cost of the proposed six-lane tunnel.
Another proposal aimed to replace the current viaduct with another elevated structure built to withstand seismic disruptions.
Many prominent leaders and organizationsopposed the elevated structure and believed this was a unique opportunity to remove the viaduct and connect downtown Seattle to the waterfront. Former Governors Dan Evans and Gary Locke, former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton, and the American Institute of Architects[12] recommended against rebuilding the viaduct.
WSDOT evaluated five proposals in 2003–2004 and decided that the six-lane cut-and-cover tunnel was the preferred alternative. Rebuilding the viaduct was retained as a backup plan.
However, due to the costs and scope of the project, other options were still being discussed in the local media. A proposal to remove the viaduct and replace it with surface street and transit improvements was backed by former King County Executive Ron Sims,[14] the People's Waterfront Coalition.
They envisioned the waterfront becoming a pedestrian-friendly neighborhoodwith a mix of commercial, retail, and public park spaces. Traffic needs would be addressed through improvements to existing streets, I-5, and public transit; they argued that these improvements would be desirable in any event. Proponents further argued that this plan had the potential to improve the tourist economy, create jobs, and encourage a denser and more residential downtown through the offering of a generous waterfront park. The total cost of removal of the viaduct, repairing the seawall, and improvements to I-5 and existing streets was unofficially estimated to be $1.6 billion
State and city officials deadlockedin late 2006 over whether to build an elevated structure (the state's preference) or a hybrid tunnel (the city's preference). Governor Gregoire stated "no action" was not an option for the viaduct. The state government called for an advisory ballot on March 13, 2007, for Seattle residents, which was supported by the city council. The advisory ballot allowed Seattleites to vote on whether they supported a surface-tunnel hybrid and whether they supported an elevated structure. Voters rejected both options, with the surface-tunnel hybrid getting only 30% support and the elevated structure only 43%.
And damn the torpedoes an undemocratic decision was reached.
On May 12, 2009, Governor Gregoire signed Senate Bill 5768,authorizing $2.8 billion in state funds for a possible deep-bore tunnel. Controversy surrounds the tunnel project however, as it was never approved in any general election or referendum, is the subject of multiple lawsuits, was selected before legally required environmental impact studies on both the state and federal level were completed, and is designed in legislation to make Seattle-area taxpayers pay for any cost overruns, which is not the norm for state-level projects, which generally have their costs distributed evenly among all state residents.
The approved design is a four-lane, 2-mile (3.2 km) long bored underground tunnel. It was originally slated to cost US$4.25 billion.
And in a report appearing on King 5 news May 18, 2015 :
"Damage to the machine was more extensive in some areas than anticipated and some minor damage occurred during disassembly, " WSDOT spokesperson Laura Newborn said in a released statement. "For example, the outer seals and the steel retainers that hold them in place were destroyed. There was also damage to the cutter drive motor pinions and the main bearing bull gear."
The project's contractor, Seattle Tunnel Partners, said they will not provide a revised schedule for when digging on the tunnel will resume until they understand the scope of the repairs. WSDOT says it will likely have a revised schedule for Bertha put together by June. Seattle Tunnel Partners and Hitachi are responsible for repairing Bertha.
Digging on the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel has been suspended for more than a year as Seattle Tunnel Partners try to assess and fix Bertha.
No telling what the actual costs will end up being in light of all the ongoing delays and repairs but the title of boondoggle already applies to this fiasco IMHO.
What do you think? Do you have a boondoggle in your area? The floor is yours.
3:51 PM PT: Posted on Jun 5 2015 2:41 PM
Seattle Tunnel Partners has begun installing the SR 99 tunneling machine’s newly redesigned seal system. Crews lowered the new outer seal ring into place Wednesday, marking the first new piece to be installed in the machine as part of STP’s effort to resume tunneling.
The new outer seal system arrived in October and was stored on-site prior to Wednesday’s installation. The new inner seal system arrived last week and is currently being installed. Made in Japan by manufacturer Hitachi Zosen, the new seal system will be easier to access should the need arise.