Governor Inslee Opposes Kill-Bertha Bill

Governor Inslee was once all smiles about the deep-bore tunnel project. Now hes facing flack from Senate Republicans.

Washington State Department of Transportation
Governor Inslee used to be all smiles about the deep-bore tunnel project. Now he’s facing flack from Senate Republicans.

On Monday, we caught wind that Senate Republicans Doug Ericksen (R-Ferndale) and Michael Baumgartner (R-Spokane) were going to introduce a bill that would end the Bertha tunnel project as we know it. Today the measure was read and referred to the committee on transportation.

Ericksen and Baumgartner’s bill would halt all attempts to salvage the Bertha tunnel and divert remaining funds to coming up with a Plan B for replacing or repairing the Alaskan Way Viaduct. But Governor Inslee—who has said that a surface streets/transit Plan B for the alternative is not an option—appears to be brushing off the bill as a nuisance.

“The Legislature already made a decision on this project, and right now we need a safe new arterial through Seattle more than we need a historical debate,” gubernatorial spokesperson Jaime Smith said in an e-mail.

We’ll keep updating as we hear more from state lawmakers over whether this bill gains any traction.

UPDATE: Inslee’s secretary of transportation, Lynn Peterson, offered something similar. “From the Nisqually earthquake in 2001 until legislation was signed in 2009, more than 90 different options were studied to replace the aging, seismically vulnerable viaduct,” she said in a statement. “Our focus and commitment now, as it was then, is on delivering this critical safety project to the people of Washington.”