Entrepreneur Elon Musk’s Boring Co. has dropped plans to construct a tunnel beneath Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles after a settlement with project opponents.
After a final, Feb. 28-March 6 maintenance stop, the world’s largest-diameter tunnel-boring machine has moved less than two blocks away from the disassembly pit in Seattle. TBM “Bertha,” churning a 1.7- mile-long tunnel for a state Route 99 replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, required a stop less than 1,000 ft from the pit to confirm that the 57.5-ft-dia machine was 6 in. off course alignment.
Located beneath the Bosporus in one of the world’s most seismically active areas, the first-ever roadway tunnel connecting Asia and Europe is set to open in late December—nearly a year ahead of the original schedule.
January 2016 was supposed to signify a new beginning for “Bertha,” the world’s largest tunnel-boring machine that now sits under downtown Seattle with its 57.5-ft-dia cutterhead motionless.
The expansion of transportation infrastructure continues to be the common denominator across regions experiencing robust growth and urbanization as well as those seeking to stimulate or diversify their economic profile.