Crews have lifted the scuffed and rusty disc-shaped front end of the broken tunnel-boring machine called Bertha from the ground in Seattle, hauling it out of a 120-foot-deep pit so it can be repaired.
Workers started lifting up the 2,000-ton machine segment from its repair pit at about noon Monday.
The lift was scheduled to take more than 16 hours but took less than 11.
A Washington state Transportation Department official, Matt Preedy, praised the Dutch lift company involved, as well as contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners and machine maker Hitachi for devising a good lifting plan and carrying it out.
The section pulled out of the repair pit included the cutter head and many of its motors. It was turned horizontally while it was lifted, which saved several hours. Then the giant red crane doing the hoisting transported the drill south to a white docking cradle.
On Monday night, the 2,000-ton cutterhead dangled a few feet above the cradle. A project spokeswoman said crews will make some adjustments before the drill can be lowered and released from the crane.
Breaking down the cutter head section is expected to take the entire month of April. However, Project Manager Chris Dixon reiterated his hope to be drilling again in August.
Bertha broke down more than a year ago as it worked to build a tunnel under Seattle to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct -- damaged in a 2001 earthquake.
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