PACIFIC NORTHWEST EDITION
A Supplement to:
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October 30 2016 Vol. I • No. 22
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” Your Pacific Northwest Connection – Patrick Kiel – 1-877-7CEGLTD – pkiel@cegltd.com
‘Bertha’ Reaches Half-Way Point on Alaskan Way Project By Lori Tobias CEG CORRESPONDENT
Three years after the tunneling machine dubbed “Bertha” began work on a 2-mi. (3.2 km) tunnel beneath the city of Seattle, the machine has passed the half-way point. Bertha pushed past the Pike Place Market on Sept. 30, successfully excavating more than 4,635 ft. (1,413 m) of the 9,270-ft. (2,825 m) tunnel, said Washington Department of Transportation spokeswoman Laura Newborn. The tunnel will replace the Alaska Way Viaduct, an elevated double-deck road that is part of state Route 99 and an important corridor through Seattle. Built in the 1950s, the viaduct sustained damage in a 2001 earthquake. In 2009, the Washington State Legislature agreed to replace the viaduct with the tunnel. In 2011, the southern mile of the viaduct was demolished and replaced with new roadway.
WSDOT photo
Looking south at the SR 99 tunnel from the back end of the SR 99 tunneling machine on May 12, 2016. From this viewpoint, you can see that the tunnel takes a slight westward turn as it heads under downtown Seattle near Yesler Way.
WSDOT awarded Seattle Tunnel Partners a $1.35 billion contract to design and build the tunnel, which includes a doubledeck highway inside the tunnel, tunnel entrances and exits and two tunnel operations buildings. The price tag for the entire Alaskan Way Viaduct project is $3.1 billion. Much of the progress has been made in the past five months with the machine tunneling more than 3,000 ft. (914 m) since a planned maintenance stop in April, according to a press release from WSDOT. “Bertha has been steadily on the move and made her way to the second half of the tunnel,” said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. “This is good progress and I appreciate everyone’s focus on making sure we safely complete this project.” The tunneling has not always gone so smoothly. In December 2013, work on the tunnel came to halt after high temperatures were see MACHINE page 6
New HQ for Idaho State Police’s District 5 Under Way By Andrea Watts CEG CORRESPONDENT
Idaho Division of Public Works photo
Idaho-Falls general contractor Barry Hayes Construction LLC was awarded the bid to build the 23,300 sq. ft. (2,165 sq m) facility.
The Idaho State Police’s District 5 is one of two districts that doesn’t have all its divisions combined into one facility, but not for long. Construction of a new 23,300 sq. ft. (2,165 sq m) facility in Pocatello, Idaho, is under way, and following its grand opening in May 2017, the district will be able to deliver improved service to the public and foster a more cohesive team environment for its staff. “Everybody is excited about mov-
ing into a new facility with its stateof-the-art laboratory,” said Captain Eric Dayley, commander of the Patrol and Investigations Divisions of District 5. District 5’s divisions — patrol, forensics services and investigations, along with peace officer standards and training — are currently located in three leased buildings spread across Pocatello. Over the years, the working spaces have been cobbled together to accommodate the district’s staff and equipment, which hasn’t resulted in ideal working conditions.
Dayley and his staff are located in a leased space within an Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) building and in leased space in the Garrett Freightlines Building, while the forensic lab is housed in the former city hall that was built during the 1950s. With its refrigerator unit downstairs and the sample processing area upstairs, forensics lab staff have to travel between floors to perform their work. “It’s not the best working environment for what our lab staff do,” Dayley explained. “It’s really tight see POLICE page 4