Seattle’s Alaskan Way tunnel on track

Plans are on track for construction work on Seattle’s Alaskan Way tunnel to commence in mid-2013. The massive TBM that will drive the tunnel has been tested in Japan by its manufacturer Hitachi and is now being shipped to the US. The TBM has a 17.5m diameter cutting head, making it the largest machine ever constructed. This is bigger even than the Herrenknecht machine with its 15.62m diameter cutting head built for the Bologna-Florence highway tunnel project in Italy. The new Hitachi TBM has been disassembl
March 8, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Plans are on track for construction work on Seattle’s Alaskan Way tunnel to commence in mid-2013. The massive TBM that will drive the tunnel has been tested in Japan by its manufacturer 233 Hitachi and is now being shipped to the US. The TBM has a 17.5m diameter cutting head, making it the largest machine ever constructed. This is bigger even than the 2592 Herrenknecht machine with its 15.62m diameter cutting head built for the Bologna-Florence highway tunnel project in Italy.

The new Hitachi TBM has been disassembled into different sections for transportation to the US and is expected to arrive at the end of March 2013. The launch area for the TBM is being prepared at present and the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Tunnel is scheduled to open in late 2015. When complete the 3.2km tunnel will carry State Route 99 under Downtown Seattle from the SoDo neighborhood to South Lake Union in the north. 914 Washington State Department of Transportation’s US$1.35 billion project will replace the existing 1950s vintage viaduct, which was damaged in an earthquake in 2001. The tunnel will run at a depth of up to 61m beneath the city and will carry 110,000 vehicles/day while its construction also frees up the waterfront area for redevelopment.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • TBMs cut routes through Wuxi
    May 29, 2013
    Often used in road construction in China, eight Herrenknecht tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have now excavated almost 16km of tunnel in 20 months. The machines mastered challenging tunnelling stretches with small overburdens, crossing beneath the emerging metropolis of Wuxi, eastern China, to excavate the first two metro lines in the 3,000-year-old town on Taihu Lake, near Shanghai. Lines 1 and 2, with a total length of 58.5km, are expected to start operation in 2014. A total of five metro lines are planned.
    Read More
  • US congestion issue unveiled by FHWA
    June 15, 2017
    The latest data from the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) reveals that traffic congestion is worsening.
    Read More
  • Work begins on Stockholm’s new bypass
    August 22, 2016
    The first tunnels are being excavated for the huge bypass tunnel in Sweden’s capital Stockholm – Adrian Greeman writes. After years of preparation and design, blasting and rock moving for Sweden's largest infrastructure project began south of the city this year. It sets in train a decade-long project that will create a new half-ring dual three-lane motorway for the city, 20km long. With most of it deep underground, it will also be one of Europe's largest ever road tunnels. The scheme is aimed at transformin
    Read More
  • Copy of New Midtown Tunnel open in Virginia
    January 30, 2017
    A project to construct the second Midtown Tunnel link in the US state of Virginia alongside the original connection has taken an important step forward – Mike Woof writes Commuters in the US state of Virginia will be pleased that the new Midtown Tunnel is now open to traffic, as it will help to boost capacity and cut congestion on the busy US 58 route connecting Norfolk and Portsmouth. The 1.13km tunnel link has been built to link with the interchange at Brambleton Avenue and Hampton Boulevard in Norfolk
    Read More

Highlighted Content