The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is preparing for a major tunnel boring effort for the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement project. This project will replace the elevated waterfront section of the Alaskan Way Viaduct in downtown Seattle with a tunnel, scheduled to open in 2015.

Earlier this month, WSDOT led several hundred members of the public on a mile-long walking tour of the job site for the project, providing information about current construction and preparations for the upcoming tunnel boring effort. The tunnel-boring machine, pictured above, is currently being built in Osaka, Japan. When it arrives, it will begin its 14-plus month journey, tunneling below the existing viaduct. The machine is 57.5 feet in diameter and weighs 6700 tons!

To learn more about what WSDOT is doing to prepare for the arrival of the world’s largest tunnel-boring machine, click here.

Photo by WSDOT via Flickr Creative Commons.