Tag: WSDOT: Page 4

Roadbuilding

Bertha back to drilling after suspension is “conditionally lifted”

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 […]

February 26, 2016

Roadbuilding

Washington governor announces new acting DOT Secretary

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee named Roger Millar as the state’s new acting Secretary of Transportation. According to a press release from the governor, Millar, current Deputy Secretary, will take over leading the Washington Department of Transportation immediately. “WSDOT is fortunate to have Roger, an accomplished engineer and transportation leader, to step up in this pivotal […]

February 15, 2016

Roadbuilding

Washington governor halts Bertha tunneling after sinkhole forms

Bertha didn’t get back to work for long. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has put the brakes on the massive tunnel boring machine once again after a sinkhole formed. According to King 5, Inslee announced on Thursday that the machine boring the tunnel for the new State Route 99 in Seattle had to be halted over safety […]

January 18, 2016

Roadbuilding

Bertha breaks through repair wall and begins tunneling soil once more

It’s taken two years in repairs and delays, but Bertha has broken through her concrete repair pit. The Washington State Department of Transportation said in a press release last week that the world’s largest tunnel-boring machine had broken through the pit and mined 73 feet in a little more than three weeks. The Seattle Tunnel Partners were […]

January 13, 2016

Roadbuilding

Bertha is nearly ready to start tunneling again

The massive tunnel-boring machine that’s been sidelined in Seattle for two years could be back to boring by New Year’s. The Washington State Department of Transportation announced that the Seattle Tunnel Partners had begun the final preparations before drilling gets started again with soil and sand being poured into the 120-foot-deep access pit on Sunday. Bertha […]

December 17, 2015

Roadbuilding

Washington State DOT seeks input on $2.4 billion 2016-2019 STIP

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) seeks public input on the draft 2016-2019 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. The public has until Dec. 19 to provide comments on the $2.4 billion program that covers more than 1,200 transportation improvement projects across the state. Projects include pavement overlay work, roadway widening efforts, bridge repair and replacement […]

December 8, 2015

Roadbuilding

Washington State DOT releases public transportation plan for comment

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is seeking public input on its recently released draft transportation plan. The plan puts forth WSDOT’s goals in improving the state’s public transportation system, which includes bike and pedestrian paths. “All of our lives are better because of public transportation,” WSDOT Assistant Secretary Amy Scarton said. “Whether it’s […]

October 27, 2015

Roadbuilding

Bertha delayed again; won’t restart drilling until late December

The Seattle Tunnel Partners have once again delayed the restart of drilling for the State Route 99 tunnel, with Bertha not expected to start work again until Dec. 23. The Washington State Department of Transportation announced the revised schedule Thursday and said the tunnel most likely would not open until April 2018. That puts the project two years and four […]

October 26, 2015

Roadbuilding

Washington, Oregon DOTs team up on electronic signs to display travel times between the two states

New traffic signs have gone up in Oregon and Washington to alert drivers to travel times to popular locations between the two states. The Washington State Department of Transportation said in a press release the joint effort between WSDOT and the Oregon Department of Transportation placed three signs in Oregon and four in Washington earlier […]

October 26, 2015

Roadbuilding

Crews prepare soil for Bertha to begin tunneling again

One of the last steps to getting Big Bertha back to boring beneath Seattle is underway. The Washington State Department of Transportation announced October 14 Seattle Tunnel Partners would begin doing jet grouting in the soil to stabilize the ground above where the massive tunnel-boring machine is set get to work. With jet grouting, a mix of […]

October 16, 2015

Roadbuilding

PHOTOS > Big Bertha gets her head together: How to repair the world’s largest tunnel machine

With the final repairs having been made earlier this summer and Big Bertha finally picked back together underground, Washington State Department of Transportation and Seattle Tunnel Partners crews are hopeful that their 18-month nightmare is nearing a close. Now two years behind schedule, the world’s largest tunnel-boring machine is pegged for a return to digging in […]

September 29, 2015

Roadbuilding

Stronger Big Bertha cutter head lowered back into its pit for tunneling

Big Bertha’s massive cutter head is back underground after months of repairs were made to get the world’s largest tunnel-boring machine back to work. According to the Seattle Times, Big Bertha’s new, stronger front end took the 120-foot dive into the pit Tuesday as Dutch lifting company Mammoet lowered the 2,000-ton machine back down. In […]

August 27, 2015