Finally, a breakthrough we've all been waiting for: Bertha is on the move again in Seattle and will soon be ready for repairs. The tunnel Bertha was built to drill will have to wait, however.
"After being stalled for more than a year, project contractors Seattle Tunnel Partners started operating Bertha at 10:15 p.m. Tuesday [February 17] as part of a rescue plan that requires the machine to mine through 20-feet of concrete on its way to a 120-foot deep access pit. Once the machine makes it to the pit, crews are expected to lift Bertha’s broken front end to the surface for repairs," according to a blog post Lewis Kamb and Mike Linblom.
The two correspondents provided constant updates as the tunnel boring machine made its way into the repair pit, including the speed and temperature at which the machine is running.
Unclear, despite the hoopla surrounding Bertha's long-delayed progress, is when the project to replace the Alaskan Way Viduct, now two years behind schedule, will get moving again.
The Associated Press has also provided full coverage of the rescue plan. Bertha's re-emergence into fresh air is available for all to witness in the video below.
FULL STORY: Bertha breaks into repair vault

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)