Photo: Ben Brooks
Yesterday, State Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson made it be known that she "has had concerns" for months now over the Highway 99 tunnel project that has been stuck in place since July 30. Today, Seattle Tunnel Partners' Chris Dixon, project manager in charge of the project, bit back.
Recent actions by WSDOT, for reasons which STP does not understand, have the potential of seriously damaging [our] relationship and adversely affect[ing] WSDOT's and STP's ability to move forward together to deliver this project.
...We are surprised that WSDOT appears to be attempting to shift the responsibility for the cost and time impacts associated with the current TBM stoppage to STP when WSDOT understands that the cause of this stoppage was the encountering of a steel well casing, which was installed and left in place by WSDOT. Boom. Roasted.
Just so we're all clear, WSDOT thinks its the contractor's fault that Bertha is stalled and that there aren't enough women or minorities working on the project. The contractors think it's WSDOT's fault and they're toally going to hit their women/minority-hiring goal of 8% (that's it???), so, chill.
This ends in a steel cage match inside the tunnel underneath Seattle, you guys. Mark our words.
· Tunnel Contractor: WSDOT Statements Could "Adversely Affect" Ability to Finish Tunnel Work [SeattleMet]
· Tunnel Watch [Curbed Seattle]