The pit where Bertha emerged in March 2017 after its 1.7-mile trek.
Nearly four years and 9,270 feet later, the SR 99 tunneling machine nicknamed “Bertha” emerged from under the Alaskan Way Viaduct near the Seattle Center shortly before 11:30am on Tuesday.
Bertha’s reappearance—after two years of delays, a lawsuit between the state and its contractors Seattle Tunnel Partners over machine damage, and millions of dollars in costs—was broadcast through a WSDOT Live Stream, and very quickly the hashtag #BerthaBreakthrough became a source of inspiration for Seattleites ready to respond with GIFs.
Is #BerthaBreakthrough gonna be like that giraffe pregnancy?? pic.twitter.com/CUCHF8mR9r
— Wheeee Are Kyle ⭐️ (@Shieldk2) April 3, 2017
A live look at #BerthaBreakthrough pic.twitter.com/V1qZH1aaNz
— Adam Bartz (@ABartz) April 4, 2017
How I imagine the new tunnel commute. #BerthaBreakthrough pic.twitter.com/VOp376e0cz
— Gearl Thomas (@AprilH20) April 4, 2017
Bertha is way cuter than I imagined. #BerthaBreakthrough pic.twitter.com/pipfG80L4j
— Gearl Thomas (@AprilH20) April 4, 2017
#BerthaBreakthrough Buckle up! pic.twitter.com/TF0Njcx3ff
— Celeste 🕉 (@Ciao_Celeste) April 4, 2017
#BerthaBreakthrough?! Now we wait for the mole people to take over Seattle. pic.twitter.com/Dim4zm9uYU
— Anna Celia Gallegos (@anna_gallegos) April 4, 2017
The five-story machine was manufactured by Hitachi Zosen Corp. in Japan and brought to Seattle, where it began its mining journey in July 2013 digging a 1.7-mile section of SR 99 underground. The city will build a new boulevard and public space in lieu of the viaduct, which is scheduled for demolition in 2019. Seattle mayor Ed Murray called Monday a “major construction milestone in our plan to reclaim Seattle’s waterfront.”
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