Somebody asked us how the Highway 99 tunneling machine is doing. While WSDOT hasn’t had many major updates lately, it’s continuing the routine of publishing distance updates on this page on Mondays and Thursdays, and according to the newest number – 7,499 feet dug, of the 9,270-foot route – it’s now more than 80 percent of the way to the end. The zone it’s in now goes below the Battery Street Tunnel, which will be decommissioned when the new tunnel opens, and beneath the foundation of the Seattle Center-to-downtown Monorail.