Two-years after the tunnel-boring machine Bertha broke down and had to be repaired, the Seattle tunnel that will replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct is set to begin construction again. The official schedule has Bertha a track to start digging again by December 23, but that could be pushed back until after the holidays.
Sand is being added to Bertha's repair pit and will be topped with 51 feet of the original fill soil. Tests will then be done to see how the cutter head spins under the full load.