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A Christmas Miracle, Bertha Is Actually Moving Forward Again

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After two years of jokes, delays, arguments, anger, frustration, parodies and opinions, Bertha the boring tunnel machine is officially moving forward once again.

It only advanced 1.5 feet on Tuesday, but considering what it's done in the years since it broke down, that's a monumental step forward. Along with moving the drill forward, Seattle Tunnel Partners crews also installing a tunnel ring at the bottom of the 120-foot-deep pit to access and repair the machine. STP expects to move Bertha forward a little bit further before taking a holiday break. Now, Seattle holds its breath as it waits to find out if Bertha can her momentum going or if we're just setting ourselves up for the next round of delays. Bertha is still expected to reach the Alaskan Way Viaduct by March and to reach her end point under South Lake Union is about a year.
· Bertha tunnels into next phase of testing [WSDOT]
· All Bertha coverage [CS]