Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Update – August 2013

bertha3Bertha begins: digging officially underway in Seattle

This time, there were no crowds or fanfare. It was just Bertha, the world’s largest tunneling machine, finally getting the chance to do what she was built to do: dig. 

Bertha got her first taste of tunneling on July 30, officially starting the 2-mile journey beneath downtown. Early in the afternoon, Bertha’s 5-story-tall cutterhead broke through the north wall of her 80-foot-deep launch pit. She’s expected to emerge in about 14 months near the intersection of Sixth Avenue North and Harrison Street.

Crews working with the Washington State Department of Transportation will push forward slowly at first, digging about 6 feet per day. By the time the machine is beneath downtown, she will dig up to 35 feet per day.

The tunnel route is divided into 10 separate zones, each with its own underground landscape. In the first zone, crews strengthened or replaced fill soils dumped there by the city’s early settlers while building protected areas where they can inspect the machine.

“We designed the project so that we would have opportunities to test the machine and make sure she’s functioning properly before we get beneath downtown,” said Linea Laird, WSDOT administrator for the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program. “If Bertha was learning to ride a bike, this initial section would be her training wheels.”

To track Bertha’s progress, visit the Follow Bertha Web page and follow her on Twitter: @BerthaDigsSR99.

Milepost 31 speaker series – tracking Bertha’s progress beneath downtown

Join us for this month’s speaker series to learn what Bertha will encounter as she digs through different types of soil, passes beneath other tunnels, and digs as deep as 200 feet beneath downtown.

 

Thursday, Aug. 1

6 to 7 p.m.

Milepost 31

211 First Ave. S., Seattle

Admission is free.

 

After the talk, be sure to leave enough time to explore the rest of the First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square. Milepost 31 is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and stays open until 8 p.m. on First Thursdays. Free parking is available for First Thursday art walk patrons in Pioneer Square. Please visit www.FirstThursdaySeattle.com for information about participating garages.

Waterfront Seattle: Street + Transit Update

2013_0626_Street+Transit_Image

On June 26, join the City of Seattle and our community partners for an interactive update on Alaskan Way design and options for waterfront transit. Building on more than two years of community input, the project team will share street design and local waterfront transit updates for community feedback. Please join us on Wednesday, June 26, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Washington State Convention Center, Room 3A. Event is free and open to the public. For additional information or to RVSP, visit waterfrontseattle.org, email info@waterfrontseattle.org or call 206-499-8040.

 

STREET + TRANSIT UPDATE (PDF)

Join us on Wednesday, June 26, for an interactive update on Alaskan Way design and options for waterfront transit.

Building on more than two years of community input gathered during conceptual design, the project team will share street design and local waterfront transit updates for community feedback. The event is free and open to all – see you there!

 

Street + Transit Update
Wednesday, June 26

5:30 – 7:30 pm
Washington State Convention Center

800 Convention Center, Room 3A

Event is free and open to the public.

Click here to RSVP.

Find directions here.

 

Questions or comments?

info@waterfrontseattle.org

206.499.8040

waterfrontseattle.org

 

HOSTED BY: City of Seattle’s Departments of Transportation, Planning & Development, and Parks & Recreation

 

For special accommodations, including interpretation, please contact info@waterfrontseattle.org or 206.499.8040.

Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may make a request for alternative formats through the Washington Relay Service at 7-1-1.

Alliance Parking Mitigation Work

1t-parking-web-282x315The Alliance partnership with Washington State Department of Transportation, Seattle Department of Transportation, and Waterfront stakeholders on Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project parking mitigation to bring you free parking on First Thursday. Now we are excited to announce the parking program has been extended through to the end of the year! Visit FirstThursdaySeattle.com for details on the free parking program.

The partnership has also helped address parking on other days besides First Thursday. Visit DowntownSeattleParking.com for discounted parking lot rates throughout Pioneer Square and the Waterfront. The website was created to be a central location for parking information in the neighborhood. Refer friends, family, clients, and customers to the website to let them know that even with all the construction going on there are still places to park!