Tunnel Fact and Fictions

 

Changing WSDOT Handouts

      March 2009 WSDOT handout is different from June 2009 handout  -  difference is the tunnel is now 2’ narrower than before.  What are the implications of this?  Reduced safety!

 

Must Read Library

     Here’s the where the real WSDOT and SDOT denizens come to life. 

     Read about their machinations to bring about a tunnel.  Read their plans for manipulating public opinion, by picking and choosing how much to tell the public, when to dribble out information, when to withhold it.  Find out how tunneling industry reps and a local think tank (Discovery Institute-Cascadia) turned the tide for a tunnel, providing their low-ball version of the tunnel cost that was used to sell the public and then working with key WSDOT personnel, used it to convince the governor, who had previously preferred an aerial replacement, that a tunnel was the better choice.

     Emails are from a public disclosure request that produced 1,430 internal communiqués between WSDOT and Parsons Brinkerhoff and their subcontractors, WSDOT and elected officials, and WSDOT to others. 

      Here are excerpted emails from the  cache that are grouped according to subject matter: 

 

 http://www.scatnow.com/WSDOTEmailsCostRelated.pdf

 

http://www.scatnow.com/WSDOTEmailsEngineeringRelated.pdf

 

http://www.scatnow.com/WSDOTEmailsEnviroRelated.pdf

 

http://www.scatnow.com/WSDOTExistNewConsultantContractorRelated.pdf

 

http://www.scatnow.com/WSDOTEmailsLocalAccessRelated.pdf

 

http://www.scatnow.com/WSDOTEmailsMiscItemsOfInterest.pdf

 

http://www.scatnow.com/WSDOTEmailPRRelated.pdf

 

http://www.scatnow.com/WSDOTEmailsRFPRFQEISRelated.pdf

 

http://www.scatnow.com/WSDOTEmailsTollRelated.pdf

 

The entire set of emails can be accessed here:

 

http://www.scatnow.com/wsdotpdr/

 

     Here is a copy of a 2003 Memo from WSDOT’s head, MacDonald that rejected most if not all bored bypass tunnels  -  same as the tunnel being planned for today: 

 

http://www.scatnow.com/WSDOTReviewRejectionofBoredTunnelOptions2003.pdf

 

     This is the LID study for tunnel tax options commissioned by City of Seattle, includes a map that shows the Downtown areas most likely to be hit with an LID, including 3,300 residential units, along with the contextual material about it:

 

http://www.scatnow.com/COSLIDTaxStudyAllenReTunnel.pdf

 

     This is few emails not included above - these are related to the run-up to make the bored tunnel a done deal, pull together details for the great reveal by Governor, and see doc for Jan. 6 re $1.9 Million figure for tunnel, product of not estimators, but the product of WSDOT’s PR advisor Amy Grotefendt:

 

http://www.scatnow.com/WSDOTEmailsCostProcessPart2.pdf

 

http://enviroissues.com/

 

 

 

 

· Changing Tunnel Dimensions