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Insurance companies sue over Bertha's repair

By The Associated Press

This photo provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation shows the massive tunnel boring machine called Bertha at the bottom of a rescue pit Wednesday, March 4, 2015, in Seattle. The machine is now in position to be torn apart so it can be repaired. State transportation officials say the broken machine reached a stopping point inside the rescue pit late Tuesday, March 3, 2015, clearing the way for workers to start the disassembly process. The tunnel is being built to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, damaged in a 2001 earthquake. The machine started digging in the summer of 2013, but broke down in December. 2013. (AP Photo/Washington State Department of Transportation)

By The Associated Press

SEATTLE — Insurance companies have filed a lawsuit to get off the hook for millions of dollars of repair costs for Seattle's tunnel-boring machine called Bertha.

The companies filed a lawsuit last week in New York City claiming they shouldn't have to pay the repair bill because the machine's design was flawed from the start.

The suit says the repair costs now exceed the tunnel machine's original price of $80 million. Repairs are expected to top $143 million.

The tunnel was designed to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, damaged in a 2001 earthquake. But Bertha broke down soon after drilling began.

Repairs to the cutter head were completed and it was lowered back into a repair pit this week. The tunnel contractor says drilling should begin again in November.

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