Object Blocking Giant Tunnel Borer Was an 8" Diameter Pipe 141
An anonymous reader writes "A few weeks ago we discussed news that a tunnel boring machine measuring 57.5 feet in diameter was halted underneath Seattle after running into a mysterious object. Project engineers have now figured out what the object is: an 8-inch-diameter pipe. In 2002, researchers for another project — the replacement of the Alaskan Way viaduct — drilled down into the ground to take water samples. They used the 115-ft-long pipe as a well casing. As it turns out, this well site was listed in the contract specifications given to all bidders for the tunnel's construction. In addition, the crew manning the machine noticed that it was chewing up pieces of metal, and they removed part of the pipe and kept going. Only later did they realize that significant damage had been done to the machine's cutting face. Officials aren't sure how long repairs will take, or how much they will cost."
Re:"Presume" there's no pipe? (Score:5, Informative)
But for a $1.44B hole in the ground, I'd want to make damn sure every inch I dig through presents abolutely no risk whatsoever.
And how do you suppose they are to do that? The only real way to see exactly what is underground is to dig a hole. Sonar only gets you so far, records are sketchy and incomplete, at the end of the day the only way to be 100% sure there's nothing in the way of digging a hole is to dig the damn hole.
This was a fuckup, sure, but it's on the scale of "we hit something we knew we were going to hit (although not exactly where), we removed it when we hit it, but it turns out it fucked up the drill head when we tried to drill through it." I wouldn't bet on this causing the whole billion-dollar project to fail - it's most likely to be a couple hundred grand, maybe a few million in repairs. And that's coming out of the contractor's profits, not from the state, most likely.
Re:Reading and comprehension skills (Score:5, Informative)
(From article summary):- "As it turns out, this well site was listed in the contract specifications given to all bidders for the tunnel's construction. "
Looks like somebody forgot to RTFM.
Looks like they should have had a "Brown M&Ms" [snopes.com] clause in the contract for just that reason.
And if anyone doesn't get the reference (or even more so if you think you do, but don't get what the archetypal ludicrously demanding rock band rider has to do with tunnel boring), read the linked article.
Re: Reading and comprehension skills (Score:3, Informative)
Bits are replaceable; it's the rest of the face... (Score:5, Informative)
The problem is if there has been damage to the rest of the face, the support structure around the bits. This is not accessible while the machine is in operation, particularly for an earth pressure balance machine like they're using [djcoregon.com]. (Required when there's lots of groundwater or a need to minimize surface disturbance, such as in an urban area.)
Re:"Presume" there's no pipe? (Score:4, Informative)
The "reforms" have been primarily to keep individuals from discharging debt while still allowing corporations to do so. That's why the left opposed it.
Re: Reading and comprehension skills (Score:3, Informative)
it wasnt just some band... it was van fuckin halen \m/... and it was david lee roth pretending to be a pretentious douche of a rock star by asking for the m&ms .
Actually, according to his autobiogprahy, it was buried in the TECHNICAL part of the contract, and existed to make sure that the promotor/venue read this section so something (like the stage collapsing) didn't occur. What a douche, not wanting to die mid-show killing audience members...