Finally, a breakthrough we've all been waiting for: Bertha is on the move again in Seattle and will soon be ready for repairs. The tunnel Bertha was built to drill will have to wait, however.
"After being stalled for more than a year, project contractors Seattle Tunnel Partners started operating Bertha at 10:15 p.m. Tuesday [February 17] as part of a rescue plan that requires the machine to mine through 20-feet of concrete on its way to a 120-foot deep access pit. Once the machine makes it to the pit, crews are expected to lift Bertha’s broken front end to the surface for repairs," according to a blog post Lewis Kamb and Mike Linblom.
The two correspondents provided constant updates as the tunnel boring machine made its way into the repair pit, including the speed and temperature at which the machine is running.
Unclear, despite the hoopla surrounding Bertha's long-delayed progress, is when the project to replace the Alaskan Way Viduct, now two years behind schedule, will get moving again.
The Associated Press has also provided full coverage of the rescue plan. Bertha's re-emergence into fresh air is available for all to witness in the video below.
FULL STORY: Bertha breaks into repair vault
Bertha Finally Breaks On Through (To the Other Side)
The Bertha tunnel boring machine was once stuck under the city of Seattle for more than a year. Now it has reached its goal, four years after it began its journey.
How Seattle's 'Rose-tinted Fantasy' Threw Billions in Public Money Away
"Seattle is in the midst of a full-spectrum transportation fustercluck," writes David Roberts for Grist.
Forget Sunk Cost—What's the Best Way to Spend Bertha's Remaining Funds?
Seattle’s massive highway tunneling project delays while solutions are sought for the mechanical error that brought the project’s massive drilling machine, Bertha, to a halt. Some are starting to examine life after Bertha.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
Restoring Northern India’s Himalayan ‘Water Temples’
Thousands of centuries-old buildings protect the region’s natural springs and serve as community wells and gathering places.
Milwaukee to Double Bike Share Stations
Bublr Bikes, one of the nation’s most successful, will add 500 new e-bikes to its system.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service