World's Largest Tunneling Machine, "Bertha" Starts Digging SR 99 In Seattle

Kaustubh Katdare · 2013-08-01T19:10:58+00:00

World's largest tunneling machine, "Bertha" has recently had the first day at job that will last about 14 months. Finally, after a lot of testing Bertha has began doing what she's been built to do. Unfortunately, there were not many people or the media to witness Bertha's first day at job. Bertha's first assignment is to do a 2-mile journey beneath downtown. She'll operate under the crew from Washington State Department Of Transportation, pushing forward slowly at about 6 ft per day. Once she's beneath downtown, it will increase the speed to about 35 ft per day.

World's Largest Tunneling Machine, "Bertha" Starts Digging SR 99 In Seattle

Kaustubh Katdare

Administrator

Updated: Oct 16, 2024

Views: 1.5K

World's largest tunneling machine, "Bertha" has recently had the first day at job that will last about 14 months. Finally, after a lot of testing Bertha has began doing what she's been built to do. Unfortunately, there were not many people or the media to witness Bertha's first day at job. Bertha's first assignment is to do a 2-mile journey beneath downtown. She'll operate under the crew from Washington State Department Of Transportation, pushing forward slowly at about 6 ft per day. Once she's beneath downtown, it will increase the speed to about 35 ft per day.

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Anil Jain

Member • Aug 1, 2013

Kaustubh Katdare
She'll operate under the crew from Washington State Department Of Transportation, pushing forward slowly at about 6 ft per day. Once she's beneath downtown, it will increase the speed to about 35 ft per day.
What can be the technical reason that it's starting from 6ft and will up to 35 ft.
Is there any technical reason or its mere precaution as the machine being used for the first time.

meanwhile, any clue what is the best it can do in a day?

-CB

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Ashraf HZ

Member • Aug 1, 2013

If I read correctly from their site, the slow start is for the machine to "train" and for engineers to check its performance. Once its all good, they will ramp up the speed.

#-Link-Snipped-#

Bertha

Age: <1
Height: 57.5 feet
Weight: 7,000 tons
Length: 326 feet
Occupation: Tunneling specialist
Likes: Dirt, small boulders, perfectly formed concrete rings
Dislikes: Sunlight
Role models: #-Link-Snipped-#, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Isambard_Brunel" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Marc Isambard Brunel</a>, whoever invented the shovel
Twitter:#-Link-Snipped-#
😁

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Kaustubh Katdare

Administrator • Aug 1, 2013

I think that's right. Since this machine is operating for the first time, they'll have to be very careful in the initial stages. If something goes wrong, it will go wrong on a massive scale.

But 6ft/day or even 35ft/day is still way too slow IMHO. We need something like 1 km/day! FTW! CEans, let's make it happen one day 😁

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Ashraf HZ

Member • Aug 1, 2013

Kaustubh Katdare
But 6ft/day or even 35ft/day is still way too slow IMHO. We need something like 1 km/day! FTW! CEans, let's make it happen one day 😁
lots of TNT 😘

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Kaustubh Katdare

Administrator • Aug 1, 2013

ash
lots of TNT 😘
Or all of us digging it like real men...☕

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Ashraf HZ

Member • Aug 1, 2013

Kaustubh Katdare
Or all of us digging it like real men...☕
Yes.. could work with 146k CEans.. 😁

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Kaustubh Katdare

Administrator • Aug 1, 2013

ash
Yes.. could work with 146k CEans.. 😁
I'd be supervising all of ya 😎.

PS: I think we're I am getting all spammy here.

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Jeffrey Arulraj

Member • Aug 2, 2013

crazyboy
What can be the technical reason that it's starting from 6ft and will up to 35 ft.
Is there any technical reason or its mere precaution as the machine being used for the first time.

meanwhile, any clue what is the best it can do in a day?

-CB
Well the upper layers are not hard rock in my opinion and the downtown area the stress on the lower soil levels are comparatively lesser than that in proper town

So once downtown is reached it is let the engines blow in full glory

PS: Is not 2 miles deep stand for rocky layer I am sure the challenge lies in diverse loading on the upper levels

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zaveri

Member • Aug 2, 2013

ash
If I read correctly from their site, the slow start is for the machine to "train" and for engineers to check its performance. Once its all good, they will ramp up the speed.

#-Link-Snipped-#

😁

what is berths's nationality ? German ?

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