Water, dirt, and a plume of smoke can be seen coming from the exit point for Bertha, the Seattle tunnel boring machine that has been digging beneath the city for nearly four years.
It's not clear how long we'll have to wait before the cutter head emerges.
Just before 10 a.m., the water and smoke could be seen from the State Route 99 tunnel pit.
Wall has broken. They wait until pressure lowers behind wall, allow fluid 2 drain. Could be a while until we see cutter. #BerthaBreakthrough pic.twitter.com/v9ub2a42gV
— Ted Land (@TedLandK5) April 4, 2017
Lots of dirt and dust. Water spray system, meant to reduce particles in air, just activated. #BerthaBreakthrough pic.twitter.com/Ch33gEVdUh
— Ted Land (@TedLandK5) April 4, 2017
Bertha, the machine digging the State Route 99 tunnel, completed the 9,270 foot journey that she began July 2013.
The machine’s cutter head stopped just short of the disassembly pit Monday, drilling the final 30 feet Tuesday morning.
The tunnel still has awhile to go before it will open to the public. Crews need to finish the double-decker lanes and other infrastructure.
The tunnel project was not always a smooth journey. From a sinkhole that shut down operations for months to cost overruns that climbed to nearly $500 million, the project caused some headaches.
Related: Bertha: How we got here and beyond
However, Bertha finished the journey without any major hiccups since digging resumed in December 2015.
