Six weeks after Governor Inslee ordered Bertha to stop digging until WSDOT had a chance to figure out what happened with a 250 cubic yard sinkhole, the boring tunnel machine has restarted again.
Again.
Again.
The state’s team of independent experts has approved a plan by contractors to improve how soil is monitored as it flows through the giant cutting face and out the rear of the tunnel-boring machine.
In addition, contracting firm Dragados USA is transferring four experienced tunnel managers to the Seattle project, according to Todd Trepanier, program administrator for the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The suspension was actually "conditionally lifted" and now STP can move Bertha forward 160 feet before it has to install 25 concrete rings.
It probably doesn't change the ever-growing rift between STP and WSDOT over the stoppage and costs, but at this point that probably won't be solved until the eventual lawsuits.
· She’s ba-ack! Yes, Bertha’s on the move once again [ST]
· Another Reason to Stop, Bertha has Sinkhole for a Neighbor [CS]
· Bertha Work Suspension Order 'Baseless' According to STP [CS]