Team —
Last week, we learned that the Highway 99 tunnel will be delayed – again – until 2019 (remember, it was supposed to open late 2015). The delay will also burden taxpayers with at least an additional $223 million in cost overruns.
The delay is due to the incompetence of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). When the Highway 99 project was in its initial planning stages, the state failed to inform Seattle Tunnel Partners – the project’s contractor – about the location of a steel pipe which was put in place by the state and which Bertha struck in December 2013.
That critical mistake is alleged to have caused the giant drill to break and stopped the project for more than two years. We now also know that the mistake will delay the project four years and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions.
For years, Jay Inslee has overseen a culture of incompetence at WSDOT. It’s time he accept responsibility for the incompetence his administration has exhibited at the expense of taxpayers.
You can count on us to continue working to hold Inslee accountable.
Thank you,
The Shift Team