SEATTLE — Workers at the Seattle tunnel project have started pulling pieces of the broken tunnel machine called Bertha to the surface for repairs.
Washington transportation officials say crews began lifting the 270-ton section of the machine’s upper body on Thursday afternoon.
This is the first of four large pieces of Bertha that Seattle Tunnel Partners will lift from the rescue pit. It’s part of their repair plan.
Bertha broke down in December as it worked to build a tunnel under Seattle to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct — damaged in a 2001 earthquake.
The tunnel boring machine drilled into a 120-foot-deep pit and the front of the machine will be pulled out for repairs. STP hopes to start drilling again in August.
