Took the words out of my mouth. I hope this is the year they find something substantial.
And that claw that brings dirt, rocks, and wood from the underground construction- I’m afraid that it’s going to do some real damage to whatever’s down there.
Another summer of waiting……..
If I were running the effort I’d take advantage of the winters and dig down using rings of pycrete (ice made from a slurry of water and wood pulp) posts hammered in and then pycrete walls with refrigeration coils formed around those to hold back the soil around the dig. Each ring smaller than the last. Then before spring really hits put the whole thing under a chilled dome to work under.
The advantage of pycrete is strength, low materials cost and dirt cheap / environmentally friendly disposal (unlike if you were having to break up concrete in a similar construction). Pycrete also melts very slowly and is easy to keep frozen.