King County, WA sues contractor on $1.8B Brightwater Sewer Project for cost and schedule overruns

Brightwater Tunnel Boring Machine BT-2, nicknamed Helene. It was stuck some 300-ft underground for sever months while waiting for repair parts.

Brightwater Tunnel Boring Machine BT-2, nicknamed Helene. It was stuck some 300-ft underground for sever months while waiting for repair parts.

Current projections put the project completion 35-months behind schedule because of problems with a portion of the TBM constructed tunnel. The County is suing for $74M in damages associated with the delays. This massive sewer project involves the construction of a 13- to 14-mile treated waste pipeline constructed by TBM at depths of 40 to 440-ft. You can also see previous GeoPrac coverage of this project and its cost overruns, also here and here. [Source: SeattlePI via ASCE SmartBrief. Image: Seattle Times]