Hey kids: help name the Beacon Hill tunnel-boring machine!

Sound Transit and Obayashi Corporation today called on kids to submit entries for a fun contest to name the giant tunnel-boring machine that will carve out the twin tunnels that will carry light rail trains through Beacon Hill. 

The contest provides a chance for kids to make their creativity count and take part in an exciting moment in the Puget Sound region's history. The winner will be recognized when the tunnel-boring machine is launched this fall and will receive a prize from Obayashi valued at approximately $1,500.

The contest deadline is Aug. 12.

Last month the state-of-the-art tunnel-boring machine was delivered to Obayashi Corporation, the internationally respected contractor that is building the Beacon Hill segment of the Central Link light rail line. Once assembled, the machine will weigh about 360 tons and extend about the length of a football field. The machine is currently being assembled near the west portal of the tunnel, located beneath I-5 near the Tully's Coffee roasting plant in SODO.

The contest is open to kids 12 and under who live in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Each contestant should submit one TBM name entry, and his/her name, address, phone number, age, and school. Entries can be submitted on Sound Transit's web site at www.soundtransit.org/kids/tbmcontest.asp or mailed to:  

Name the Tunnel-Boring Machine Contest
c/o Sound Transit
401 S. Jackson Street
Seattle, WA 98104

Top contestants will be contacted to verify their identity. Sound Transit and Obayashi employees and their immediate families are not eligible.