VIADUCT CLOSURE NEARS: Highway 99 tunneling machine reaches ‘maintenance stop’

(WSDOT graphic)

No start date yet – but that two-weeks-or-so Alaskan Way Viaduct closure is in view, now that the Highway 99 tunneling machine has reached its “maintenance stop” just before going beneath the structure. The machine could stay stopped there for up to a month, says WSDOT in its announcement:

On Saturday, Bertha, the SR 99 tunneling machine, reached a planned maintenance stop near Yesler Way, after successfully mining almost 300 feet during the past three weeks. According to STP, the TBM functioned within required operating parameters. The machine has now mined a total of 1,560 feet.

Seattle Tunnel Partners will spend up to one month inspecting the machine and performing planned maintenance. Scheduled work includes:
· Performing hyperbaric interventions
· Inspecting the cutterhead, main drive unit and screw conveyor
· Replacing cutting tools
· Extending the conveyor belt and the high voltage cable.

When STP has completed its maintenance work, crews will tunnel out of the maintenance stop and beneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct. WSDOT plans to close the viaduct for approximately two weeks to allow the machine to pass beneath the structure.

We will provide the public with advance notice of the closure, but the start date isn’t yet known. It will depend on the amount of work that must be completed while the machine is in the maintenance stop. STP won’t know the extent of the needed maintenance until inspections are complete, a process that could take approximately two weeks of the one-month maintenance period. Check www.99closure.org for additional details as the closure approaches.

More backstory here. Wondering how the closure will be handled? See our report (including video) on the briefing the West Seattle Transportation Coalition got last month from state and county reps; the WSTC was told WSDOT will do its best to give at least two weeks’ warning of the closure’s start.

breezy March 14, 2016 (5:06 pm)

I will keep my fingers crossed.

Go home Bertha March 14, 2016 (8:15 pm)

We should be so lucky as to see the total destruction of the viaduct with no one on it or under it, and the complete and total obliteration of the abominable tunnel boring monstrosity which Christine Gregoire, Ron Sims, and Gren Nickels foisted upon with the duplicitous scheming and tyranny of deposed bagman Richard Conlin and last ghoul standing Tim Burgess. Rot in the frigid and unforgiving depths of Elliot Bay, you foul and miserable leviathan-like turd of a boring machine.

Matt S. March 15, 2016 (1:30 am)

While I’m unfamiliar with Gren Nickels, I like your brand of vitriol.
John March 15, 2016 (7:42 am)

@ Go Home Bertha… You need to or must be a writer. I wish I had your vocabulary.
- Rick March 15, 2016 (7:54 am)
  
  I just wish I could remember what used to be mine.

themightyrabbit March 14, 2016 (8:35 pm)

you’d assume that after completely renovating Bertha 300ft before this stop, that there would be no need to perform this kind of lengthy maintenance. In fact, yes, why? the cutter heads are all fresh. boggles the mind. the peanut gallery needs a vacation obviously.

chemist March 14, 2016 (9:09 pm)

I’m OK with the inspecting of the cutter head after this 300 ft and, since it’s been two years since they last changed the cutting bits while underground, I’m OK with the crew getting practice on that.

dsa March 14, 2016 (10:32 pm)

Those “fresh” cutter heads just finished going through the concrete access pit. They are not so fresh anymore. But more than that somewhere near here there was some strange wording about this machine’s warranty expiring. This so called maintenance stop could be the last free service inspection.

WSB March 14, 2016 (10:35 pm)

The maintenance stop is not ONLY about the machine. It’s also about adding to the conveyor belt, among other things. The “more info” link above includes some of the explanation. As for the warranty thing, it’s past that point in the process, as discussed in earlier comment threads.

dsa March 14, 2016 (11:09 pm)

I’ve tried to keep up, somehow I missed the warranty milestone.

WSB March 14, 2016 (11:13 pm)

https://westseattleblog.com/2016/01/video-highway-99-tunneling-machine-breaks-out-of-the-pit/#comment-2010774

OP March 14, 2016 (11:54 pm)

Let’s recap quickly. Bertha is shut down for nearly a 1.5 years (I may be off but only slightly), then comes back online for a week or so before being shut down for 4-6 weeks by Gov. Secret Sauce and NOW Bertha needs to stop again for another month. They better be working 24/7 on all of this project.

I’m NOT okay with any of this boondoggle. We, the taxpayers, are getting 100% Grade A pooched.

candrewb March 15, 2016 (5:53 am)

Remember that $1 billion transportation levy where they didn’t mention any specific projects?

dsa March 15, 2016 (12:19 am)

Thank you, so the Times article says: “Bertha remains under warranty until 1,500 feet, just before it would dive beneath the old viaduct and pass beneath downtown.” And since WSDOT is saying Bertha has traveled 1560. I’m betting this is supposed to be the warranty stop.

TheKing March 15, 2016 (5:23 am)

There are way too many zeroes behind the dollar amount in this to justify two miles of road. Unless you own waterfront property, or eventually collect the taxes off of the new extremely valuable property. If this new “wonderland” waterfront doesn’t turn into a needle infested trough like the “jungle” it will be oh so transparent where the elected officials priorities lie. This is borderline criminal.

Born on Alki59 March 15, 2016 (7:05 am)

That billion dollar levy won’t come anywhere near financing this boondoggle. No, there will be more creative ways to pay for this mess, such as Governer Goobers pay by the mile idea.

Gotta agree with “Go Home Bertha”, and thanks for the chuckle.

Tom Horbett March 15, 2016 (10:52 am)

Many commentators clearly use this forum to vent as much negativism as possible. Come on folks, lighten up. After all is said and done we are going to have a nice new waterfront with plenty of new tax revenue plus no more risky high rise beater viaduct to threaten lots of death and destruction. I like it!

candrewb March 15, 2016 (10:57 am)

The levy is for the overage, not to fund the entire thing.

dsa March 15, 2016 (11:11 am)

I’ll take the high rise beater viaduct over the death trap coffin tunnel any day.

Born on Alki 59 March 15, 2016 (11:25 am)

The “overage(s)” are unfathomable at this point. Doubtful one billion will cover it if the rest of this project goes as smooth as the first 1300 feet. One thing for certain, the taxpayers will pay dearly for this project while the property owners and developers laugh all the way to the bank.

K. Davis March 15, 2016 (12:21 pm)

The vitriol would be more amusing if it had any root in fact. Instead, it’s the kind of fact-free ranting that makes Donald Trump proud – “YUUUGE waste of tax money” … And so on.

I get it … Some folks don’t like the project. Good for you. But the conspiracy idiocy (“this is borderline criminal” … “This is only to benefit wealthy developers” … ) is mostly just sad in revealing the willful ignorance of so many.

We need a north-south alternative to I-5 (by “we” I refer to our regional community). The old viaduct is not – I’ll say it again – is NOT an option, for all the reasons that have been aired here – ad nauseum – before. I’ve yet to read any intelligent response with any other option that is better than the tunnel option to meet the requirement that we maintain a north-south highway through the city core besides I-5.

But do keep ranting if it make you feel better.

Rick March 15, 2016 (12:38 pm)

K.Davis, you’re pretty liberal with MY checkbook. But than again, we’re in Freattle.
Some Jerk March 15, 2016 (4:11 pm)

No, Trump would never write or speak creatively as it’d alienate his base. He would most definitely spew charged, simplified arguments with the elegance of someone typing from an airplane’s bathroom on a turbulent flight. Much like your ranty fragments separated by ellipses and dashes. You also managed to respond to two things Go Home Bertha didn’t say.

No doubt we need more than I-5, and Viaduct II simply isn’t on the table. But let’s leave room for nuance; one needn’t be opposed to the project to be concerned about how it’s managed or skeptical that it’ll be completed without physical or financial disaster from which we’ll all need to recover.

Born on Alki 59 March 15, 2016 (1:10 pm)

K, good to know there will be no cost overruns or any development for profit along the waterfront if this project gets completed. Thanks for setting the record straight.

Mo March 15, 2016 (2:18 pm)

Have the water taxi folks thought about running their backup boats in addition to the regular boats so as to have more runs during rush hour? What about switching to summer (i.e., all-day) runs ahead of schedule if 99 happens to close before April 8?

WSB March 15, 2016 (2:38 pm)

Hi, Mo, that’s been brought up in our previous coverage. Vashon will have extra runs. West Seattle is nowhere near maxed out yet and has just launched a much-bigger boat, so they’re pretty sure they have capacity. The midday runs (added in the summer schedule) are even more sparsely used, the county says, so they didn’t see the need to move the schedule back. – TR

K. Davis March 15, 2016 (2:31 pm)

@Rick and BOA59 … Where to begin?

“Your checkbook” … It’s called democracy. We vote for leaders who make policy decisions that have fiscal consequences. Deal. Or move to that country where all government services and goods are free. Yeah …that place … More to the point, you completely avoid (perhaps deliberately) my point – once again – follow along please – we have to have a north-south highway to compliment I-5. Reality. Try it.

“Cost overruns/development profit” … Is your point that some people will make money by increased property values when the viaduct comes down? Ok … That will surely happen. So what? The only reason that would be corrupt or illegal would be if we were tearing down the viaduct specifically to benefit someone. That would be wrong. But we build infrastructure all the time which also has the added effect of benefiting someone or some business. When a new highway interchange gets built, someone comes along an puts a mini-mall there and makes a lot of money. Does that mean the interchange was built only to benefit the landowner? I mean, seriously – is that your bitch? It is an unavoidable reality. Are you really so uninformed in your world view that you don’t understand that? Or are you just jealous?

And for the record – I’m just a tax-paying schlub … No economic benefit to ME for the project – I’ll pay the higher taxes and sometimes the toll when I use the tunnel. But I am an adult and a responsible citizen. I understand that infrastructure costs money and building it is sometimes imperfect. I don’t whine and snivel when the world isn’t all rainbows and cupcakes. Reality …

TheKing March 15, 2016 (9:26 pm)

A replacement viaduct would be finished by now. There would probably be hundreds of millions left over for pronto bikes, methadone clinics and rainbow crosswalks from here to Portland. All warm and fuzzy.

K. Davis March 15, 2016 (9:50 pm)

@theking … yes, more rainbows.

A replacement viaduct would have meant tearing down the existing viaduct and 2-3 years with no SR 99. Stop and think about that, with your rainbows and all. Seriously. Gridlocking the city for a couple of years … and then please get serious.

And another little fact to consider … the cost of the replacement viaduct was still a multi-billion dollar project … perhaps a bit cheaper than the tunnel, but you’re kidding yourself if you think the price was much cheaper.

Cainipoo March 15, 2016 (9:50 pm)

http://crosscut.com/2014/12/bertha-mess-did-seattle-bring-it-itself/

I want another vote!

Born on Alki 59 March 16, 2016 (10:14 am)

KD, I agree to disagree. Unfortunately I wont be able to afford retiring in Seattle due to rising taxes. The current administration will likely force all blue collar workers outside city limits with their tax to the max mentality. I am neither uninformed or jealous as you assume. I do however pay attention to what’s happening.

canton March 16, 2016 (9:24 pm)

@K. Davis, ever work on a car before? You know, jack up one side, put jack stand under. Jack up other side, same deal. Then you fix whatever problems in those areas, then move to next section, and so on. Viaduct wouldn’t need shut down during service. Obviously you have some toll money burning a hole for a sweet private highway.

Sorry, comment time is over.