West Seattle, Washington
03 Sunday
Six and a half feet and one more ring for the Highway 99 tunnel machine, WSDOT announced late today. That puts its cutterhead close to the north side of the access pit, where it will have to go through a 15-foot concrete wall: “Once beyond the wall, crews will begin tunneling through native soils that will serve as the next stage of STP’s testing process. This section of the tunnel route includes an underground wall that was built to protect the Alaskan Way Viaduct while crews continue to test the machine.” Read the rest of the update here, including details of how the removal of excavated material has resumed.
(Click image for larger view)
Long before we get to that potential closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct when the tunneling machine travels under it, Highway 99 has long-running lane closures coming up north of downtown – to build “four large sign foundations for the future tunnel” – and WSDOT really, really, really wants to make sure you know those closures are set to start two weeks from today, on Monday, January 18th. WSDOT spokesperson Laura Newborn emphasizes, “What’s most important for drivers and commuters to know is that while two lanes in each direction of SR 99 between Highland Drive and the Aurora Bridge will remain OPEN during peak commute hours, buses and vehicles will share the bus-only lane.” Read on for the full reminder from WSDOT:
With the Highway 99 tunneling machine restarting, WSDOT has been loudly banging the warning drum about the anticipated two-week Alaskan Way Viaduct closure, once the machine starts digging beneath it. Remember, we survived a one-week closure four years ago during the demolition of its southern mile in October 2011. As part of that, the West Seattle Water Taxi got heavier usage than ever:
(WSB photos, October 2011)
Some runs were at capacity. But this time around, the run will have a bigger new boat, as the M/V Doc Maynard is scheduled to finally take over next month. We asked Rochelle Ogershok from the county Transportation Department what’s being discussed so far to maximize the Water Taxi during the anticipated closure, potentially as soon as March, and that was the first thing she mentioned:
Specific to West Seattle the following plans are:
Vessel Schedule and capacity: The Winter Water Taxi schedule will be operated with increased capacity on commute hour sailings. Doc Maynard has a capacity of 278 passengers as compared to 147 passengers on Spirit of Kingston. This is an increased capacity of 786 passengers in the morning and 917 in the afternoon.
Water Taxi Dock Access: The Marine Division is coordinating with the City of Seattle on parking options along Harbor Ave and Don Armeni boat launch similar to what happened during the 2011 closure. Those actions included:
*Additional all-day street parking along Harbor Ave.
*Additional parking at Don Armeni ParkWe are also investigating the feasibility of operating larger shuttles to accommodate more passengers.
Again, specific plans have not been finalized – we will continue to coordinate with WSDOT and City of Seattle on closure details and will share with riders as this information becomes available.
The extra spaces at Don Armeni went fast during the October 2011 closure:
Meantime, the state is promising ongoing information about the expected closure via this WSDOT webpage. The real test of the tunneling machine will come when it resumes work early in the New Year.
Another Highway 99 tunneling-machine update from WSDOT before the holiday: The video above shows the machine building the tunnel’s 160th ring. (The music you hear isn’t a holiday feature, WSDOT says, explaining in the YouTube caption that it’s a safety alert.) The full online update says in part:
… In all, Bertha has excavated 8 feet of tunnel since STP restarted the machine early Tuesday. STP crews – which have been working long hours in the weeks leading up to the machine’s restart – will take a break over the holidays before resuming tunneling in the first week of January.
When work resumes, crews will mine through the concrete wall of the access pit and into the native soils that will serve as the next stage of STP’s testing process. This section of the tunnel route – like the 1,091 feet that came before it – is protected by underground walls that were built to hold the ground in place while crews continue to test the machine.
Bertha will mine toward an underground block of concrete approximately 450 feet north of the access pit. This area is the third and final protected maintenance stop, or safe haven, that STP built prior to the start of tunneling. According to the STP’s most recent schedule, the machine will spend up to one month at the safe haven while crews perform maintenance and make final adjustments before tunneling beneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct. …
The update also includes a reminder of the two-weeks-or-so Viaduct closure planned when that happens.
The Highway 99 tunneling machine is out of sight but by no means out of mind.
WSDOT announced this morning that the machine has started moving forward in the “access pit” where its cutterhead was accessed for repairs (now backfilled, as shown in the WSDOT time-lapse video above). Here’s the full text of its latest news release (and note the reminder of a Viaduct closure in a few months, if all stays on the current schedule):
The State Route 99 tunneling machine entered its next phase of testing early Tuesday, Dec. 22, near Pier 48, moving forward and installing a tunnel ring at the bottom of the 120-foot-deep pit crews built to access and repair the machine. Seattle Tunnel Partners, the Washington State Department of Transportation’s design-build contractor for the tunnel project, plans to tunnel a short distance further in the access pit tunnel before giving crews a break for the holidays.
“Testing the machine in the conditions it will face during the rest of the tunnel drive is a critical part of our work to resume full-production mining,” said Chris Dixon, Seattle Tunnel Partners project manager. “The next several hundred feet of excavation will give us the information we need to make final adjustments before we tunnel beneath the viaduct and downtown.”
After the new year, STP plans to mine out of the access pit toward a planned maintenance stop 450 feet to the north. Along the way crews will mine slowly while installing tunnel rings and continuing to run tests. When the machine reaches the maintenance stop – essentially an underground block of concrete just south of Colman Dock – crews will perform maintenance and make final adjustments before diving beneath the viaduct.
Tunneling under the viaduct will require a full closure of SR 99 through downtown for approximately two weeks. The contractor’s latest projections show that the closure will occur in March, but the actual closure date will depend on Bertha’s progress and the state cannot verify the contractor’s schedule.
STP and Bertha’s manufacturer, Hitachi Zosen, are responsible for the repair effort, including the schedule. While the machine was under repair, STP continued essential work at the future tunnel portals, including construction of ramp and highway connections, and the buildings that will house tunnel operations.
STP crews halted tunneling in December 2013 after the machine overheated. After an investigation, they discovered damage to the seal system and determined it needed to be replaced along with the main bearing. The cause of the damage has not been determined. Responsibility for costs associated with the delay will be determined through the process outlined in the tunnel contract.
“Moving the tunneling machine forward in the access pit is the next step in STP’s testing program,” said Todd Trepanier, WSDOT’s administrator for the viaduct program. “WSDOT will continue to protect taxpayers as we work with STP to complete the project.”
Another update from WSDOT this afternoon, as its contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners approaches the date on which it has said it hopes to restart the Highway 99 tunneling machine – next Wednesday:
(WSDOT photo)
Seattle Tunnel Partners has spent much of the week backfilling the SR 99 tunnel access pit. By Friday, only part of the machine’s shield and cutterhead were visible from our time-lapse camera. Crews stopped backfilling on Wednesday afternoon to repair a mixing arm that broke off inside the machine during testing of the cutterhead. Backfilling has since resumed and will continue over the weekend.
STP has indicated they may fill the remainder of the pit with a concrete-sand mixture in addition to material removed during excavation. Using the concrete-sand mixture – rather than sand and soil, as STP previously planned – could reduce the time it will take to complete backfilling. Additionally, the deep dewatering wells that have been used to control groundwater in the pit may be turned off sometime in January. STP previously planned to turn them off this month.
STP has told us they plan to move the SR 99 tunneling machine forward by Dec. 23, the date shown in their most recent schedule. As part of their testing program, STP intends to tunnel forward a short distance in the pit before taking a break for the holidays. After the holidays, STP plans to mine out of the access pit toward a planned maintenance stop approximately 450 feet to the north. Along the way crews will mine forward and install tunnel rings while continuing to run tests.
The state cannot verify the contractor’s schedule, but we will continue to provide updates as STP’s work progresses.
Reminding you again – Highway 99 from the Battery Street Tunnel north to Valley Street (lower Queen Anne) will be closed both ways overnight tonight, with other closures ahead, as part of the project.
(Video clip updated late Monday by WSDOT, so we’ve substituted the new “extended” one)
According to an update this morning from WSDOT, the newest schedule from its contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners still says the tunneling machine is expected to start up again next week, two days before Christmas. (WSDOT, meantime, reiterates that it “cannot verify” the schedule.) Meantime, it’s also published the video clip you see above, showing one of the final steps in access-pit preparation before the machine can get going again – backfilling with sand, which started yesterday and is expected to continue all week. This and other prep steps are all detailed, with graphics, on WSDOT’s project website. It’s now been more than two years before the machine overheated and stopped tunneling.
(Six WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! New weather alert overnight – now a “wind advisory” is in effect until 3 pm (read it here). And after a rainy night, you’re going to find trouble spots like the “big bad puddle” at Fauntleroy/Raymond, as tweeted by Megan:
Here are all the ways to contact us.
UPCOMING 99 CLOSURES: As announced by WSDOT on Monday. They all involve the Battery Street Tunnel *northward* but still could affect traffic between the tunnel and bridge, so here’s the heads-up:
Full closure Dec. 18-19
During this closure, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will set up a work zone between the northbound and southbound SR 99 lanes near Harrison Street in order to build the permanent median barrier.
SR 99/Aurora Avenue North will be closed between the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel and Valley Street:
Northbound lanes: Closed from 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19
Southbound lanes: Closed from 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18 to 7 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. One southbound lane will remain closed until 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19Lane closures Dec. 14-22
Additionally, crews installing a variable message sign may close one southbound lane of SR 99 between Roy and Mercer streets from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly, Monday, Dec. 14 through Thursday, Dec. 17 and Monday, Dec. 21 through Tuesday, Dec. 22.
Long-term lane closures beginning mid-January
Contractor crews will install the foundations for new overhead traffic signs on SR 99/Aurora Avenue North between Highland Drive and the Aurora Bridge. One lane in each direction will be closed around the clock for approximately seven weeks. An additional lane will be closed at night when there is less traffic on the road and on some weekends to provide additional work zone for the contractor. One lane will remain open during this work.
8:10 AM: We’ve been out checking on other perennial water-over-road trouble spots, such as W. Marginal Way SW – so far, nothing major. But if the forecast heavier rain arrives this afternoon, that could change.
8:53 AM: Just got a text about water over Delridge by Orchard/Myrtle. Off to check.
9:03 AM: It’s cleared – aside from a sizable curbside puddle by the northbound Delridge bus stop north of Orchard.
Almost two weeks after the last Alaskan Way Viaduct inspection closures, the results are in. From this WSDOT webpage summarizing years of inspection results:
Survey crews detect between 1/4 and 1/2 inch of additional settlement between University Street and south of Seneca Street since the last inspection. The settlement is uniform in nature. Inspectors also note some additional cracking on columns and girders in the same general area, along with up to 1/2 millimeter widening of a few existing cracks. No additional repair work is necessary.
We know what you’re going to ask – here’s how WSDOT answers it: “It’s important to note that not all settlement is significant. In the case of the viaduct, no single number represents an acceptable level of settlement.” Bottom line, WSDOT says: “The viaduct remains vulnerable to earthquakes but remains safe for everyday use.” (In case you missed it, here’s the latest tunnel-machine update, published here Thursday.)
The state is circulating an update on the Highway 99 tunnel project this afternoon, saying some components are being tested, and the contractor is still working toward restarting tunneling right before Christmas:
Seattle Tunnel Partners and manufacturer Hitachi Zosen have begun testing components of the SR 99 tunneling machine as they prepare to resume mining. A few initial tests were performed last week, and several others are slated to occur in the coming weeks.
7:35 AM: Reminder: Highway 99 is closed again today, between the West Seattle Bridge and the Battery Street Tunnel, as state crews continue its twice-annual inspection, along with some maintenance work. It’s scheduled to continue until 6 pm, but we’ll update if we get word it’s over earlier.
1:10 PM: It indeed reopened early! Inspection results will be available later this week.
8:45 AM: Just a note to remind you that Highway 99 is closed between the West Seattle Bridge and the Battery Street Tunnel until 6 pm, and scheduled to be closed 6 am-6 pm again tomorrow, for its twice-a-year inspection, plus some maintenance work.
5:29 PM: David points out that 99 is open again, with vehicles (as you can see above) going both ways.
Tunnel update just in from WSDOT: The newest monthly construction schedule from its contractor, Seattle Tunnel Partners, has slid another month. If this one holds, the tunnel machine will resume work on December 23rd, and if all goes well, the tunnel would open in April 2018. Read WSDOT’s update in full – including what’s happening near the access pit along the Viaduct – by going here.
10:11 PM: If you’re heading out – or back this way – via Highway 99, be aware the Battery Street Tunnel is closed both ways again. Haven’t heard yet if it’s the recurring sprinkler malfunction or something else.
11:42 PM: After about an hour and a half, the tunnel is open again. Still no explanation.
(Added: Image from webcam over tunnel-machine access pit tonight)
No hint of this just two days earlier, when WSDOT released a video update on the Highway 99 tunnel-machine repairs, hours before its quarterly stakeholders meeting, but, late today, the state sent out a very different update, saying it’s suing its contractor:
WSDOT is committed to working with Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP) to complete the SR 99 Tunnel Project.
We are also committed to protecting taxpayers.
Today, WSDOT filed a lawsuit against STP in King County Superior Court. This filing was prompted by recent court filings by STP and their insurance companies. Filing this lawsuit ensures WSDOT will have a right to make legal claims in the future. This lawsuit does not prevent STP from pursuing claims under the terms of the design-build contract.
Taking action to preserve WSDOT’s rights in court was a necessary step. Our focus remains on completing the project, and removing the seismically vulnerable Alaskan Way Viaduct. We intend to ask for a stay of WSDOT’s lawsuit until the project is completed and asked STP to join us in this request.
This delay in the lawsuit will allow for work on the SR 99 Tunnel Project to be completed before litigation takes place.
The intent of today’s action is simple: protect the interests of Washington taxpayers.
There will be no further statements on this legal matter.
While WSDOT provided the case number – 15-2-24943-6 – we checked the online files, and no documents are available there yet, just “Case Title: Washington State Department of Transportation vs Seattle Tunnel Partners” on the page. We’ll keep checking.
This follows news earlier this week, first reported by the Puget Sound Business Journal, that WSDOT has told insurers it expects costs to rise more than $78 million because of the tunnel-machine trouble. That in turn came out as part of another lawsuit, one filed in New York state by insurers against STP, which says it’s hoping to get the machine going again in November, almost two years after its underground breakdown.
From today’s quarterly meeting of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Stakeholders meeting:
The dates are set for this year’s semiannual AWV inspection closure – scheduled for Halloween weekend, 6 am-6 pm on Saturday, October 31st, and again on Sunday, November 1st. The Viaduct will be closed both ways between the West Seattle Bridge and Battery Street Tunnel. WSDOT said at this afternoon’s meeting that besides the inspection, they’ll do some maintenance as usual – in particular, fire-suppression systems in the BSTunnel need some work.
Also at the meeting, WSDOT played the video that we featured here earlier in the day, showing what’s been happening with the tunneling machine as work continues to get it ready to start tunneling again later this year. The Viaduct closure that’s expected when the machine goes beneath the structure could last up to two weeks. Assuming everything goes as currently projected, the machine will stop in a long-planned “safe zone” just outside the edge of the structure, so it can get a checkup to see how it’s doing after what would be the first few weeks of digging.
If you’ve wondered what’s happened in the six weeks since the repaired cutterhead was lowered back into the Highway 99 tunneling machine’s “access pit” – and what’s left to do before Seattle Tunnel Partners turns it back on again – that video should answer your questions. It’s provided by WSDOT and narrated by STP’s Chris Dixon, who’s in charge of the project. We’re also expecting to hear a status report at the quarterly Highway 99 stakeholders’ meeting later today. (And yes, according to a recent city doc, transportation officials are still expecting to close the Alaskan Way Viaduct for about a week and a half while the tunnel machine passes directly beneath it. No way to know when that’ll be until the machine again gets going, and stays going – it’s currently “forecast” for February.)
That one-minute video shows you how the Highway 99 tunneling machine’s repaired front end was lowered into the pit where the rest of the machine awaited. WSDOT just made it public along with this update on what’s happened since then, and what’s next:
Seattle Tunnel Partners has reconnected the SR 99 tunneling machine’s 2,000-ton front end to the section that remained in the access pit during repairs. With the two sections of the machine now bolted together, crews from Mammoet have unhooked the front-end piece from the massive red crane that performed this week’s lift.
Significant work remains for crews tasked with reassembling the machine. Three large pieces of the machine’s outer shield will be lowered into place for reassembly in the coming days, according to STP’s most recent schedule. Crews also must weld the pieces back together, in addition to the lengthy task of reconnecting the hundreds of wires and hoses that are integral to the tunneling operation. STP and manufacturer Hitachi Zosen will conduct a series of tests following reassembly to ensure the machine is ready to resume mining.
WSDOT has said its contractor’s most-recent schedule anticipates that could happen in November.
(The webcam view 24 hours ago, when part of the repaired front end was still visible above the pit’s rim)
Just in from WSDOT:
Seattle Tunnel Partners and crane crews from Mammoet have successfully lowered the 2,000-ton front end of the SR 99 tunneling machine to a platform at the bottom of the access pit.
Crews will now use the crane to fine-tune the position of the piece. When that process is complete, they will begin reconnecting the piece to the portion of the machine that remains in the ground.
The effort to return the tunneling machine’s front end to the 120-foot-deep access pit began early Monday morning. Crews started by vertically lifting the piece, which includes the machine’s cutterhead, motors and the new main bearing assembly. The crane then moved horizontally on its rails to the north. When the piece was above the pit, crews rotated it to a semi-vertical position and lowered it partway into the pit before breaking for the evening. Work resumed early Tuesday morning, with the piece reaching the bottom of the pit Tuesday afternoon.
Three pieces of the machine’s shield that remain at the surface will be lowered and reinstalled in the coming days, according to STP’s latest schedule. After the machine has been reassembled, STP and manufacturer Hitachi Zosen will conduct a series of tests will follow reassembly to ensure the machine is ready to resume mining.
STP has said it hopes to do that in November, by which time it will be almost two years since the machine overheated and was stopped – longer than the tunnel-boring itself is supposed to take.
If you’ve been southbound on the Alaskan Way Viaduct recently, you’ve probably seen the Highway 99 tunneling machine’s repaired/reassembled front end sitting by the “access pit,” as WSDOT’s contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners prepared it to be lowered into the pit for reattachment. This morning, WSDOT says STP has started the process, which could last at least 14 hours:
Contractor crews will use the super crane next to the Alaskan Way Viaduct to:
-Lift Bertha’s repaired cutterhead and cutter drive unit from its surface-level platform
-Move the entire piece horizontally over the access pit
-Rotate it into a vertical position
-Slowly lower the cutterhead and drive unit on to a platform inside the access pit
“Lifting more than 2,000 tons is a long, slow process,” notes WSDOT in its announcement. If you want to check in from time to time, here’s the link to the webcams, whose images update frequently. It’s been five months since the machine’s front end was brought out of the pit to be fixed.
(Late-afternoon screengrab from WSDOT webcam)
Five months after parts of the Highway 99 tunnel machine were lifted out of its “access pit” along the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the state says its contractor reports they’re getting close to putting the repaired parts back in. From WSDOT’s update today:
Seattle Tunnel Partners has begun reconnecting the two largest pieces of the SR 99 tunneling machine’s front end. On Saturday, Aug. 15, crane crews from Mammoet lifted the machine’s bearing block into place atop the cutterhead and drive unit. The newly reconnected front end of the machine will remain at the surface while Hitachi Zosen installs its motors. When installation of the motors is complete, Mammoet will lower the 2,000-ton piece back into the pit. … STP’s most recent schedule indicated the lowering of pieces would begin in early August, but some parts had to be remanufactured due to tight tolerances – measured in millimeters – that need to be met as the machine is reassembled. Those new parts have since arrived and been successfully installed. … Once the machine is in the pit, crews will begin the lengthy task of reconnecting wires, hoses and other parts to the portion of the machine that remains in the ground. A series of tests will follow to ensure the machine is ready to resume mining.
So far, WSDOT says, its contractor still “has a plan in place to resume tunneling in late November as scheduled,” but it notes that it “cannot verify the contractor’s schedule.”
(WSDOT-provided photo: Working on machine’s ‘main bearing’)
With a big reminder right in the middle of its announcement – “The state is not able to verify the contractor’s schedule” – WSDOT went public this morning with the newest projected schedule for the resumption of Highway 99 tunneling. It says contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners believes it will be digging again in late November, almost two years after its machine stopped, with a projected opening date of spring 2018. The schedule document made public by WSDOT is dated last month and goes through the tunnel-machine repairs piece by piece; WSDOT’s news release (read it in full here) quotes an STP executive as saying they couldn’t tell how long the repairs would take until they took the machine apart. It also says the cause of the damage discovered after the machine was shut down in December 2013 “has not been determined.” While the repair work continues, so does work on the tunnel’s portals, and WSDOT is showing off south-portal progress to media crews this morning.
5:36 PM: That photo from a Highway 99 project webcam shows a new landmark in progress – two of the four bright-yellow ventilation stacks going up at what will be the “south operations building” for the tunnel. Each one is 40 feet tall, made of 3/8-inch-thick steel, and built in Longview; the other two will be within a day or so, according to WSDOT. The “north operations building” at the other end of the tunnel route will also have a set of stacks like this. Read more about this week’s installation here.
P.S. Still no new schedule for the tunneling machine, so far.
ADDED 6:38 PM: But there will be one soon, WSDOT says tonight: “Today, the Washington State Department of Transportation received a new schedule from Seattle Tunnel Partners, the SR 99 tunnel contractor. We intend to release this schedule information to the public, but first need time for a preliminary review. WSDOT and STP will provide an update on their repair efforts and their schedule sometime next week.”
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