
The officials word is that the S.R. 99 tunnel is now scheduled to open by spring 2018. This is about three years behind the original date of late 2015, due to several issues.
Crews stopped tunneling in Dec. 2013 after Bertha overheated, after which an investigation discovered damage to the seal system that needed to be replaced along with the main bearing. Then crews spent most of 2014 digging a pit to access the front of the machine so the cutter head could be repaired.