Seattle Tunnel Machine Begins Work Again

SEATTLE (AP) — The machine digging a tunnel to replace Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct has resumed work.

State transportation officials said the boring machine, known as Bertha, resumed mining Tuesday after the state allowed the work to continue. Last month Gov. Jay Inslee halted all digging because a large sinkhole formed in the area where the machine was operating.

State officials say the tunnel contractor will be allowed to install 25 concrete tunnel rings and must ensure the work can continue safely.

A tunnel along Seattle waterfront was the choice to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct after it was damaged in a 2001 earthquake. But Bertha broke down about two years ago and had only recently resumed operations.

The original completion date for the tunnel was the fall of 2015. The latest estimate for the opening of the double-decker highway project had been April 2018.