Highway 99 tunneling machine gets its name
The five-story-tall tunneling machine that will bore a hole from SODO to Queen Anne for the new SR 99 tunnel now has a name: Bertha.
The Washington State Department of Transportation launched a contest to name the world's biggest tunneling machine back in October.
The winning name - tweeted Monday by WSDOT - was submitted by both a second-grade student at Lincoln Elementary School in Hoquiam and a fifth-grade class at Poulsbo Elementary School.
It is named in honor of Bertha Knight Landes, who was elected mayor of Seattle in 1926.
"This project is about breaking new ground," former mayor and contest judge Charley Royer said in a press release. "Like the SR 99 tunneling machine, Bertha Knight Landes was one of a kind. It's only fitting that the machine bears her name."
Boring for the new SR 99 tunnel is scheduled to start next summer.
In the meantime, you can follow Bertha on Twitter at @BerthaDigsSR99, as it's very important for the giant piece of machinery to connect with today's youth.
The Washington State Department of Transportation launched a contest to name the world's biggest tunneling machine back in October.
The winning name - tweeted Monday by WSDOT - was submitted by both a second-grade student at Lincoln Elementary School in Hoquiam and a fifth-grade class at Poulsbo Elementary School.
It is named in honor of Bertha Knight Landes, who was elected mayor of Seattle in 1926.
"This project is about breaking new ground," former mayor and contest judge Charley Royer said in a press release. "Like the SR 99 tunneling machine, Bertha Knight Landes was one of a kind. It's only fitting that the machine bears her name."
Boring for the new SR 99 tunnel is scheduled to start next summer.
In the meantime, you can follow Bertha on Twitter at @BerthaDigsSR99, as it's very important for the giant piece of machinery to connect with today's youth.
Given that it is going to be tunneling through the earth, I would have just named it Eartha.
They probably could have sold the naming rights even though this thing goes under ground and won't be seen for months. For that matter they should sell the naming rights for the tunnel. Who ever buys it gets exclusive add space on the walls and marquees.Â
That's one big drill bit!
it isn't too late. Â don't do it!
It looks like the LHC at CERN
So how many thousands of tax payer dollars did this fiasco cost??
 @beakyboy Thousands?  Fiasco?  I'm not sure what you're referring to.  The tunnel will cost billions, not thousands.  Is the Fiasco the naming of the tunneling machine?  Or the machine itself?  Or the tunnel project as a whole?
Remember the tunnel in Japan? The on where the huge concrete slabs on the roof fell down and crushed several people to death? You know, the ones where the retaining pins were missing? Now do you still want a tunnel through landfill and a fault zone to replace the Viaduct? good luck. I hope your burial insurance is up to date, you will need it for your final expenses.
 @Common-Tater There are many tunnels throughout the world in fault zones with no problems.  Are you saying you know better than engineers?  And this is a deep bore tunnel.  For the most part, none of it is being drilled in landfill areas.  It'll go underneath the fill in the original soil and rock.Â
The Money Pit
Hopefully Kiewit construction will not be building this thing. They have screwed up enough on the 520 bridge.
Ahhh, Big Bertha doing Seattle. With the uber-bright colors on the thing right now, it kinda looks like it it's made out of Legos.
 @theToucan LOL! Good eye! If it was built by Kewitt, it probably IS Lego's! ;)
That's the lady bore in Seattle - the Olympia lady bore is called "Christine."
The official song for said machine should be money by Pink Floyd.
 @Cindertang LOL! Yeah, the perfect line for them is "Don't give me that do goody good bull****!"
I was thinking "Boondoggle", "Snow Job", "Underwater" or "Fubar" would be better. But that's just me.
it's very important for the giant piece of machinery to connect with today's youth, because you will still be paying for it when you are all grown up with your own runny nose children
That's a big flippin shovel
Oh sheesh we got a name now... I guess we can all go home and sing happy birthday!... that must have taken months of meetings and conferences to come up with...
Would've been great if they called it 'Overbudget'
NIce job kids.
 @DDG wow. a normal comment. Â
They should have named it the Paula Hammond, because nobody has dug the state a bigger hole faster than the head of WSDOT!
"Big Dig Bertha"