Then again, a band or a parade would have been a jarring incongruity for a 2-mile tunnel project that is four years behind schedule and faces a potential $400 million in cost overruns. On April 4, 2017, one of the world’s largest tunneling machines chewed through more than 1,000 tons of concrete and fiberglass to end a 1.7-mile journey underneath downtown Seattle. It helps that divided Seattleites found something to like in the $80-million, 326-feet-long tunnel boring machine, known as Bertha. Though some saw the tunnel breakthrough as the near-end of the project, there’s considerably more to be done. But there will be no exits to downtown Seattle, as the overhead viaduct provides, and a toll is needed to help pay for the project.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 01, 2017 12:02 UTC