This Saturday from 11 to 1, Sound Transit will host a tour of the Capitol Hill station construction site.
Capitol Hill community event featuring music group Toy Boats (playing from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.), Come by and learn about Sound Transit and its light rail construction projects. Bring the family to enjoy balloon animals and face-painting.
Link light rail construction site tours will also be given. View the tunneling boring machine as it prepares to launch towards downtown Seattle. Please be sure to wear sturdy shoes. People wearing open-toed shoes will not be allowed onto the site.
Sounds like fun!
OT, but is boring machine University Station digging now or are they still preparing?
I think you’re missing a preposition in there, but there are two TBMs at Husky Stadium Station, with a third that will be launched (twice) from the Pine Street stub.
I thought the third TBM was going to be launched from CHS toward PSST. I believe the second time, the TBM shroud will be abandoned in-place somewhere under/near Pine Street.
Yeah, I got it backwards. Brenda will dig CHS-PSS twice.
As I understand it the TBM will launch from Capital Hill toward DT. I would think hauling out all the dirt from DT would be a nightmare.
You’d think they’d turn it around once they punch through and use the first tunnel to removed the dirt but if I recall they are going to move it back to Capital Hill and then leave the TBM entombed near Pine Street when the project is completed. Perhaps the issue with a bore starting DT is that they have to transport all the casing there that is put in place as the TBM grinds it’s way along. Guessing the other two will be disassembled and pulled out of the hole on Capital Hill but not sure on that either.
Differential GPS? I wouldn’t think a satellite signal would penetrate the ground to reach the TBM directly. Or is there some sort of sophisticated sensing (like submarine tracking) that will be employed?
The first TBM was christened at UW Station just a couple weeks ago, with much fanfare, and supposedly began operation.
Is Sound Transit going to release any data about its progress in any regular fashion? (Something like June XX – 180 feet of tunnel bored)
If you sign up for University Link project updates on their projects page you’ll get a periodic email telling you the percentage complete, often accompanied by a paragraph describing what’s happened since the last email.
And the webpage is updated frequently:
University Link Light Rail – Project Update
Wouldn’t updates be boring?
That comment required some deep thinking.
You’re asking this question of a blog with a day-by-day (nay, second-by-second!) countdown to the opening of this project.
Robert, are you looking for a boring log? (Engineer/geotech joke.)
I need a live streaming webcam from inside the TBM itself. I need this very badly.
Careful, Bruce, comments like that will just drive us further underground.
Any STBers want to do an informal meetup/lunch/coffee after the event?
Sure. Just promise there will be no Fight Club.
Will there be an Vancouverite transit/football fans in town for the derby match? That would be a really cool meetup.
Count me in.
I haven’t made up my mind yet, but if I decide to go there, I would like to join the meetup. How can I find you?
I’ll be there – hope to see some of you! I’ll be in Sounders gear as the match is later on that day.
I’ll be wearing an XKCD t-shirt.
I’ll be there, too; probably wearing a black Chipotle t-shirt and a Canon.
Does anyone know if we can actually go down to the bottom of the station box and touch or see closely the TBM? Or, is it more like just observing it from street-level?
I assume it will be from street level. The logistics (not to mention the liability!) of taking lots of people into the pit would be crazy. That said, I’d be thrilled if they did take people down. :-)
Yeah, so the Lunch Bus advertised that we’d “get to see the Link Operating & Maintenance Facility”. The bus pulled over on the opposite side of Airport Way and they said “Look, over there is the OMF!”
And the press didn’t even get to go down in the pit at Husky Stadium when they launched Talgo & Balto, so I’m pretty sure the common folk won’t get to do so at Capitol Hill.
Tim and David, thanks for the info.
Good event – thanks to ST for hosting this.
Very 2001. The Obelisk must of jetted off to Jupiter already.
Would love to go but I have UW’s Commencement to attend at Husky Stadium. Would’ve been awesome if this was already in service.
Got that right. Don’t even attempt to get through Montlake including 520. If coming from Kirkland it’s probably faster to swim. Congrat’s Oran!
We’d probably take Lake City Way.
Thanks for the congrats, I’ll pass them to my brother. I’m his guest that day.
Congrats, Oran! You’ll have your PhD before UW Station opens, and tenure before Lynnwood Station opens.