Highway 99 tunnel machine arrival update: Watch for it Tuesday

| Alaskan Way Viaduct | Seen at sea | West Seattle news

Time flies. Or, sails. It’s already been 10 days since the heavy-lift ship Jumbo Fairpartner carrying the Highway 99 tunnel machine left Japan (as noted here, with photo). Tuesday’s the day you’ll see it sail past West Seattle shores on the way into Elliott Bay, reports Seattle Times (WSB partner) transportation reporter (and West Seattleite) Mike Lindblom, whose story includes this tracking link. We’ll of course track it with specific viewing times as it gets closer! P.S. WSDOT is offering a launch-pit walking tour next Thursday.

bn March 29, 2013 (4:33 pm)

The link for info on the launch-pit tour gets a page not found error. I hope that doesn’t mean they’ve changed their minds.

Diane March 29, 2013 (5:57 pm)

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/About/FollowBertha
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http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/Milepost31
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looks like they took it down because April 4 tours are full already; though when I attended March 7 event at MP31, they said there would be weekly tours starting in April, so there should be more
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I emailed and called to get my reservations at 1:30pm, right after seeing this story here; was told “phones were ringing off the hook”; thank you WSB for alert on this; I’ve been to every event at MP31, but they don’t have a special email list to even let those of us who have been loyal followers find out what’s next; so I would have missed this if not for you; thank you so much

WSB March 29, 2013 (6:15 pm)

Funny that phones were ringing off the hook- I actually didn’t see it promoted anywhere, but just happened onto a mention when I went to the WSDOT website to look for any additional information on the journey of “Bertha” :) and decided to add it to the story; there hadn’t even been a press advisory (I was making a mental note to ask if we could tag along). Will doublecheck on that and then remove the link if it’s indeed closed!

Diane March 29, 2013 (7:31 pm)

I used link in your story for info on how to rsvp; that link now says “Not found; The page you are looking for does not exist.”
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this is the flyer that was accessible via that link
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http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/Media/Default/Documents/MP31/MP31_SpeakerSeries_flier_April%202013.pdf
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that pdf link still shows the flyer
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the link at end of Mike’s story: “Starting April 4, the DOT will take people on walking tours that go upstairs onto the stub of the old Alaskan Way Viaduct, affording a crow’s-nest view of the pit, new cranes, and an overhead conveyor system, described in this recent Seattle Times story. For signup information, check the Milepost 31 project museum online, or visit at 211 First Avenue South.”
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http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/Milepost31
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now leads to this info:
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“Milepost 31 Speaker Series – Walking Tour: View of the SR 99 Tunnel Launch Pit
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Tours are FULL.
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Thank you for your interest in the April 4 walking tour view of SR 99 tunnel construction. The tours for that evening are full. Future tours will be announced on http://www.milepost31.org”
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so perhaps there really are a lot of people who read the Times?
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or maybe everyone got it from you, and raced like crazy to get on the list, like I did

WSB March 29, 2013 (8:09 pm)

Thanks, Diane, I would give credit where credit is due, but I honestly didn’t read that far into Mike’s story – I skimmed the first part about the ship arriving, immediately clicked out and started wandering the web to look to see if WSDOT had posted about that (at the time they hadn’t), etc., then decided others should know if they hadn’t seen the story already, and wrote this item to link to his report. … Anyway, since you point it out, I’m sure in that case, it was a reaction to their story and not ours. But it really was still open when I put up the link – I found it independently (since I hadn’t read that far) and the link worked at the time and invited RSVP’s. Hope they add more. I was just over driving by the site – not past the site via 99, but on the ground via rerouted Alaskan Way – and what a production! All those office trailers under the ramp/Viaduct … TR

Diane March 29, 2013 (9:34 pm)

thanks YOU; not sure I’d have even seen the Times story if not for you
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with the nice weather, I plan to go down there tomorrow; hoping not too much is blocked off
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at the MP31 presentation in March, they went through all the details of the delivery; very elaborate

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