Good morning, World! It’s Friday!

On a recent trip to Seattle (panoramic view to the West from Century Link field to the Space Needle), I was privileged to find a well-experienced tour guide to walk me through the site of a $3.1B public works project using a boring machine dubbed Bertha.
She is in the media, she is contentious, she has many partners and she is currently laid up getting a new set of “teeth” (pictured below with two highly influential decision makers who are working against a tight time schedule, a vicious media and logistical challenges) to ease congestion in one of the more restricted traffic regions in the country.

I marvel at the innovation, the size, and the scope of this project. What struck me during the entire tour was how many obstacles they’ve been through already (political, media, language -due to the global reach of capabilities encompassed in this joint venture- to name a few) and how great this project will be when its completed. The vast majority of people who will benefit from it have no comprehension of what’s going on here.

It reminded me of my behind the scenes tour of Freedom Tower in New York a couple of years ago and the incredible amount of work and time that went into the associated projects below ground. Out of sight, out of mind? I really want to believe we, as a nation, are not so shallow that we quickly forget the substantial value of infrastructure improvements and hope we don’t jump on the Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) train as soon as we are temporarily inconvenienced.

We came for a long weekend to visit our daughter and the Friday evening news had a special on Bertha and in the same newscast the traffic report said it would take 2.5+ hours to get from the NE portion of Seattle to the SW portion of the metro. This project seeks to reduce congestion and frustration and to give back time to commuters. What is the quality of life improvement worth to them? How many places do you know of where you can buy time? I, for one, hate sitting still in traffic.

Designers and builders that seek to improve public safety and add to the quality of life that we subsequently enjoy should be heralded as heroes, not scapegoats. Anything from flipping a light switch to turning on the faucet to making a cell call, driving to work, jumping on a plane, train or ferry is possible because of the amazing people who work tirelessly to design, build and maintain a first-world-country expectation.

I had goosebumps walking through the completed portion of the tunnel as well as the machine itself. The equipment, the people and the collective mission is nothing short of amazing. I can’t wait to see this finished product.

More information can be acquired at @BerthaDigsSR99 or http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct

Have a blessed weekend!