PACIFIC NORTHWEST EDITION
A Supplement to:
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April 16 2017 Vol. I • No. 8
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” Your Pacific Northwest Connection – Patrick Kiel – 1-877-7CEGLTD – pkiel@cegltd.com WSDOT photo
Reports: Oregon’s Roads, Bridges Key to Economy Oregon’s transportation system is critical to the economy: one in five jobs in the state is transportation and trade-related, and as a trade-dependent state it relies heavily on exports from farms, forests and factories to support jobs. Two new reports from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) show that at the state’s current rate of investment, Oregon’s roads and bridges will deteriorate, and the impacts to the economy and consumers’ pocketbooks will be farreaching. “We’ve known all along how important our transportation system is to the state’s economy and the quality of life we enjoy in Oregon, and these reports spell it out for us,” said Tammy Baney, Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) chair. “It’s clear that we need to pay now — or we’ll pay a whole lot more later.” see REPORTS page 4
Stars and Stripes for Bertha: Members of Bertha’s crew pose with the American flag after the SR 99 tunneling machine broke into her disassembly pit.
Bertha Breaks Through: Iconic TBM Emerges Into Daylight in Seattle By Lori Tobias CEG CORRESPONDENT
Sixty-four years to the day the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle opened to traffic, the tunneling machine dubbed “Bertha” emerged into daylight from a 1.7 mi. (2.7 km) drive beneath the city. The crew broke into the 90-ft. (27 m) deep disassembly pit at 11:25 a.m. on April 4, just short of four years after the tunneling work began in July 2013. Led by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), and designed and built by
contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners, the tunnel project will move a 2 mi. (3.2 km) section of SR 99 underground when it wraps up in early 2019. Crews will then demolish the viaduct, clearing the way for the city’s new waterfront, said WSDOT spokeswoman Laura Newborn. “This is a historic moment in our state’s transportation history,” Gov. Jay Inslee said. “Innovation and perseverance are the engines that keep Washington in the forefront. There is still more work ahead but this moment is one worth celebrating.” The tunnel contract is $1.4 billion.
The adjoining road projects bring the total tunnel costs to $2 billion, Newborn said, noting that it is not accurate to say the tunnel cost $3.1 billion as that is the cost of the entire program to replace the viaduct (32 different projects-including viaduct demolition and Battery Street Tunnel decommissioning). Crews spent several days removing steel support braces that stand between Bertha and the interior of the disassembly pit, Newborn said. When the braces are gone, crews will drive the machine into its final position and begin cutting see BERTHA page 6
As the state’s pavement deteriorates, vehicle repair and operating costs will increase.