Stuck

What a mess

I haven't mentioned Big Bertha lately because there's no news.  First she was only stuck, now she is truly broken.  The biggest drill in the world has been idle under Pioneer Square since early December. There's even a Twitter feed called "Stuck Bertha" with quips from the drill's point of view:  "I guess I'm losing my bearings...literally."  It would be funny if it wasn't for the massive cost overruns (no one know how much yet.)

We don't make decisions quickly in Seattle, and it took twelve years to finally settle on a tunnel to replace the viaduct. Now people are already talking about giving up, burying the drill alive and building a new viaduct instead. But there's no backup plan, and it would probably take Seattle another dozen years to come up with one.

Here's an interesting fact mentioned in a Seattle Times article: There's already a mile-long, 30 foot diameter tunnel under downtown Seattle. The Burlington Northern train tunnel was dug 110 years ago by 350 guys with shovels.