Outfoxing the city council’s latest attempt to block a public vote on the deep-bore tunnel, several groups say they will likely file a city initiative to put the megaproject’s future on the ballot.
This initiative will be different from one filed on July 30, which is designed to stop the tunnel project completely and seems to have little chance of passing. That measure was filed by Elizabeth Campbell, an advocate of rebuilding the viaduct, who has twice filed antitunnel measures that failed to get enough signatures.
This newly proposed initiative—backed by groups with a track record of successfully passing ballot measures—would specifically address the issue of what happens in the event of cost overruns. It would prevent the city from permitting tunnel construction under downtown until the state removes a now-infamous law outlining the legislature’s intent to make Seattle pay any cost overruns.
Tunnel projects typically run 34 percent over budget; the state’s portion of the project is $3.1 billion.
“An initiative is basically a gun to the state’s head,” says Tim Harris, director of Real Change and one of the leaders of a potential initiative campaign. “If they don’t change that language, the whole tunnel project is at risk of being voted down.”
Brady Montz, another person behind the effort and director of the local chapter of the Sierra Club, notes that an initiative would probably pass. A poll by SurveyUSA released in July shows that 63 percent of Seattle residents support requiring the legislature to amend the state law on cost overruns before the project proceeds. “No matter what you think about tunnels and bikes and buses, you can’t have that hanging over our heads,” Montz says.
But the city council has tried to stymie a public vote, arguing that asking the legislature to clarify funding for the project would kill the tunnel. “We’re not sending this out to a second public vote,” Council Member Sally Bagshaw said at a press conference in late July. The council was supposed to approve the tunnel contract this month, which would have been subject to a referendum, but abruptly postponed that vote until next February. Several sources at City Hall believe the council also intends to approve the contracts as an administrative action in February, another attempt to block a referendum.
For now, it remains unclear exactly when an initiative would be filed. “People who are good at filing initiatives at the right time are watching very closely,” says Montz. 
McGinn & Co’s opposition to the Deep-Bore Tunnel is a ploy to establish himself as Seattle’s decision-maker. He will attack Councilmembers on the topic of the day with a mind to replace them. After eight months in office, McGinn has one lonely accomplishment: he has divided Seattle’s pro-environment progressives. Why? More at http://www.lightandair.wordpress.com
The deep bore tunnel and the Mercer West project are the worst engineered in terms of managing traffic and as such have the highest environmental impact of all AWV replacement options. The deep bore is insanely risky and potentially the most expensive replacement option; (the cut/cover is also very expensive, but has less potential for cost overruns). WSDOT is a rogue agency intentionally designing transportation systems so that automobiles dominate and remain a cash cow for those private interests whom WSDOT honchos and whores serve instead of the public good.