Gallery: After 4 Years, Seattle's Giant Tunneling Machine Finally Breaks Through

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    Washington State Dept of Transportation
    01

    Bertha-tunneling-machineHP-1.jpg

    Bertha the tunneling machine broke through a new concrete wall into a disassembly pit.
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    Washington State Dept of Transportation
    02

    Bertha-tunneling-machine2-1.jpg

    At first it was hard to see the machine's arrival through clouds of dust.
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    Karen Ducey/REUTERS
    03

    Bertha-tunneling-machine-RTX34376.jpg

    Workers clamoured to get a shot of the exact moment Bertha emerged.
  • Image may contain Construction Human Person Vehicle Transportation and Boat
    Washington State Dept of Transportation
    04

    Bertha-tunneling-machine6-1.jpg

    Now crews will remove the metal support braces so that Bertha can move all the way into the pit.
  • Image may contain City Town Building Urban and Metropolis
    Washington State Dept of Transportation
    05

    Bertha-tunneling-machine3-1.jpg

    Engineers will cut the 6,100 ton machine into pieces no more than 20 tonnes in weight, so that they can be removed on trucks.
  • Image may contain Slate Human Person Wood and Flagstone
    Washington State Dept of Transportation
    06

    Bertha-tunneling-machine4-1.jpg

    A worker looking out through Bertha's blades gives an idea of the scale of the earth chewing machine.
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