(Access-pit camera’s image from 3:20 pm today)
Again today, with the stalled Highway 99 tunnel project under the microscope more than ever before, WSDOT has just published a new update. This time, they’re clarifying the status of the access-pit dig intended to get to the tunneling machine’s cutter head:

Excavation continues on the circular pit (pdf 2.5 Mb) that will be used to access and repair the SR 99 tunneling machine. Seattle Tunnel Partners’ engineers have determined that continuing excavation to 84 feet, an additional 3 feet from the current depth, will not affect when and how the dewatering wells could be turned off. We anticipate excavation to this elevation will take approximately one day, at which time STP will inspect the shaft walls per their quality assurance procedures. Once they reach 84 feet, STP will review survey data and consult with their engineers and WSDOT prior to determining next steps. …

The update (which you can see in its entirety here) also mentions that work continues on the crane intended to lift the damaged machinery from the pit, and on the 1,000 feet of tunnel dug before the machine stopped work one year ago. The latter two points were also reviewed at the project stakeholders’ meeting we covered one week ago downtown, just a few days before WSDOT disclosed last Friday the “settling” that was causing concern, following up with a Sunday update, and then a City Council briefing yesterday.