Hello! Last week I posted the results of a records request filed with the state for the winning proposal to build the deep-bore bore tunnel, which was submitted by international conglomerate formed the purpose of this project called Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP). It’s over here.
The natural follow-up is to look at the contract itself—the deal between the state and STP, based on the proposal—as signed in December. For that, I’ve filed a records request for the contract and the state’s evaluation form used to identify the strong points and weak points of the proposal. I haven’t had a chance to examine the hundreds of pages, but here they are in three .pdf documents:
The tunnel contract is 155 pages. Among its contents are the terms under which the state (the Washington State Department of Transportation) must pay additional money to the builder beyond the $1.09 billion contract. This can happen when the digger encounters an archeological site, comes upon hazardous waste, a building is damaged, and other unforeseen scenarios. For example, if the tunnel builder encounters “historical objects, such as ruins, sites, buildings, artifacts, human skeletal remains or other items of antiquity,” the state may issue a change order to “compensate Design-Builder for additional costs.”
The contract’s appendices are 236 pages. It includes a glossary of terms used in the contract, background on the contractors, and lots of other stuff I haven’t read yet.
Finally, the five-page evaluation form examines the number of technical points STP won (or didn’t win) for its proposal. In the field about the management of the project, for example, there were 10 million possible points; STP won only 4.6 million points. Why? Well, I’m not an expert on megaproject engineering, but the state notes in one section that appears to get zero points that STP “Should increase public satisfaction and increase accountability.”
See something interesting? Point it out in comments.
Can you smell the massive overwhelming Debt yet?
Add it up – 3-5 minutes SLOWER COMMUTES in the Deeply Boring Tunnel, 20+ minutes SLOWER COMMUTES anywhere from Denny down to the Stadiums due to all those 50,000 to 65,00 pre-toll-avoidance cars that won’t use the $8 to $10 roundtrip toll tunnel, a carbon pollution and particulate pollution impact that means the EPA will rule our City and our County are FURTHER in violation of pollution standards, and a total price to build after all is said and done that we literally can’t afford.
Not to mention the $10,000 per household (renter or owner) in EXTRA TAXES you get to pay for the satisfaction of a replacement for the existing Viaduct that has viable options with 50 percent MORE capacity than the tunnel that are CHEAPER and create MORE local jobs than the tunnel does.
I’m smelling a very very big Elephant here. And it’s White.
Prememe it, Will, now you have more time on your hands. Prememe it.
@1
Way to build a worst case scenario. Now all you have to do is hope and pray that it will happen, because if it doesnt, why you would look rather foolish, wouldnt you?
@3 actually, worst case scenario is a lost drill, an impact on protected fish species in the Sound, and a Seven Gates of Hades failure during a combined earthquake followed by a Rainier eruption with hot ash choking the ventilators and cutting power lines.
Now, THAT is worst-case scenario.
Uh, Rainier totally blowing up all Dantes Peak to the point that the ash gets down into the tunnel is pretty much the worst case scenario of anything, let alone the Tunnel. Especially, as you know, tens of thousands would probably die.
Most of us on hills or north of Denny will survive, the ash only floats up a little bit – but it does literally burn out ventilation motors and asphyxiate those below.
The Bus Tunnel should mostly be safe due to a larger design and multiple points – in fact, it might be one of the few things to run well, if it can get power. they could keep the light rail up from the north section at Convention Center. Expect pitting and some bus failures, but if they go electric in the tunnel the pollution out is manageable. Not in the Deeply Burying Tunnel, of course – that’s a massive death trap due to constrictions in size.
You better get in here, Fnarf. Will’s giving a science lecture.
Comedy gold. “the ash only floats up a little bit”. Oh my.
Since when is engineering based on best case scenarios?
Damaging a building? Shouldn’t the contractors have to pay for damage they do, thereby incentivizing them to be careful?
Why can’t they just build a street. It is not so hard. It worked for SF and Portland. No more highway, a street with pedestrian overpass to downtown. Street then hooks into the battery tunnel. Vancouver BC has zero highways in downtown. They seem to be fine AND they have more density. Why do they think a city that can’t have a subway because of instability can handle a deep bore tunnel? Bye billions. Bye to the few who may die when the new tunnel collapses.