I went to the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) break-through today. This is the second tunnel through Beacon Hill, and the break through happened a little after 11:15 am.
Here are my photos, apologies for the poor quality:
For more photos, check out our flickr pool.
Update video!
Speaking of tunnels, the U-district light rail link station has a really good opportunity for making an awesome entrance to UW. Already there exists a parking garage under the intersection of Montlake and Pacific. The entrance up from that parking lot is a big long path that heads right into the heart of red square, with the Burke Gilman bridging over the footpath. Then you get up to red square, look back, and see Rainer. It seriously has the most incredible potential for a future underground station.
great day for some out-door transit nerdery.
Some discussion of changes to the Rainier Vista area on the UW campus, partly driven by the future rail station: article in University Week (the faculty/staff paper).
I just checked the ST site and they have nothing up yet! Good work, I am excited about this. It means we are that much closer to real transit options!
I wanted to email y’all about the impending break-through at the east portal but I couldn’t find an email address. I work on this tunnel and they didn’t tunnel out at that time, but rather the night before. They sat on it to cut out those steel i-beams and get ready for the press and politicians. That “safety first” banner wasn’t there until right before they bore out.
Great blog, keep it up. :)