homeWelcome, sign in or click here to subscribe.login
     


 

 

Construction


print  email to a friend  reprints add to mydjc  

April 1, 2015

Lift goes off without a ‘hiccup'

By JOURNAL STAFF

Photo by Benjamin Minnick [enlarge]

The 2,000-ton cutterhead assembly was placed on its repair stand Tuesday, so crews repairing the broken tunnel machine called Bertha are turning their attention to separating the cutterhead from the drive unit.

The big sigh of relief came Monday, when the assembly was successfully lifted to the surface.

Crews from Mammoet took four weeks to build the specialized modular lift tower used in the operation.

Mammoet project manager Jeroen van Kooperen said the lift went according to plan.

“It went very smooth,” he said. “We didn't have any hiccups.”

Mammoet used a crew of 20 to lift the assembly.

Crews will next separate the drive unit and place it on a sheet metal foundation that was built atop a layer of sand next to the repair stand.

Van Kooperen said moving the drive unit to the sheet metal foundation could take 10 hours. He didn't know when that would happen.

Seattle Tunnel Partners, the lead contractor, hopes to have the tunneling machine fixed by late May and restarted in August.

Before that happens, Mammoet will have to lower the repaired pieces back into the rescue pit.

Van Kooperen said it will likely be more difficult for them to put the parts back versus taking them out. “We'll let you know when we put it back in,” he said.




Email or user name:
Password:
 
Forgot password? Click here.