Comparisons between our city and Boston abounded in the lead-up to the Seattle Seahawks taking on the New England Patriots in last weekend’s Super Bowl. Particularly timely was the juxtaposition of Boston’s “Big Dig” to Seattle’s tunnel project.
The 2-mile, $2 billion Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel project has been stalled since December 2013, when “Bertha,” the drilling machine, got stuck after traveling only 1,025 feet. Since then, costs have mounted significantly, the completion date has been pushed back to at least September 2017 and the ground underneath nearby Pioneer Square has started to give way from settlement.
Twenty-five years after it started, Boston finished its Big Dig mega-project — which included a 3.5-mile tunnel, a separate 1.6-mile tunnel to the airport, a 10-lane bridge and a 15-acre greenway — for $14.6 billion, plus interest; Seattleites aren’t as patient or anywhere near as generous with their tax dollars, and that’s just for their one four-lane tunnel.
The state has already spent $1 billion of its contract, and it is debating with contractors over $48 millions in change orders, project manager Todd Trepanier told lawmakers on Jan. 23.
Gov. Jay Inslee told The Seattle Times in early January, “A decision was made. Right now, we need a safe, new arterial through Seattle more than we need a historical debate.” But progress on the tunnel is now in the past, as Bertha waits for repairs.
With Seattle being the fastest-growing city in the country and the viaduct threatened with collapse from an imminent earthquake, the city cannot afford any delays. The state should be prepared to immediately go to Plan B if Bertha doesn’t make it out of “surgery.”