The WSDOT announced recently that the Seattle Tunnel Partners Joint Venture has requested a total of $188 million in change orders so far, and that the Department has denied $157 million of those, with $31 million worth still under review. Among the change orders rejected was one for $125 million plus additional contract time because STP claimed the Bertha TBM was damaged by a steel well casing. WSDOT’s position is that the location of the well casing was included in the contract documents. [Source: WSDOT. Image: Seattle Times Blog]
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Feb. 7 Bertha update: Two factors contributed to tunnel stoppage
WSDOT released an update on February 7 with some conclusions regarding the blockage that has stopped the Alaska Way Viaduct Tunnel Boring Machine, Bertha’s progress since December 6. Now they don’t think it was necessarily the well casing after all.
They cite two factors that contributed to the blockage. First, the cutterhead was clogged with material. You can see an cool short video of a worker unclogging the cutterhead. Not terribly dramatic, but still cool. The second factor was increased temperatures inside the equipment. STP discovered damage to a seal that protects the machine’s main bearing. They are still determining how the repairs will be done.
If you want to follow the chronology of this issue, read below for summaries and links to previous updates from WSDOT. And Check out the videos too! [Source: WSDOT]