It's only Wednesday, but it has already been a busy week for Seattle as the city moves toward a long-term replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
On Tuesday the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) issued a request for qualified bidders interested in building the proposed deep-bore tunnel replacement. “This project is another step toward replacing the aging and vulnerable viaduct,” said Washington State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond in a press release. “Agreement with the City of Seattle and King County to build the SR 99 bored tunnel means we can begin the process of selecting a contracting team for what will be the largest viaduct replacement contract."
This comes only one day after opponents of the tunnel project filed a lawsuit in federal court that could put up barriers to construction. The suit, filed by activists and the group Seattle Citizens Against the Tunnel, claims that the environmental impacts need to be studied further for construction to legally begin.
This all happens in the context of a mayoral race that is becoming increasingly defined by the viaduct replacement issue. Anti-tunnel candidate Mike McGinn is a few points behind opponent Joe Mallahan in the race’s first poll. But if McGinn wins in November, the deep-bore tunnel faces a much greater threat than an activist lawsuit.
