Feature
Director’s Corner: Tunnel Decision
Last week, the Seattle City Council voted to proceed with Seattle’s deep-bore tunnel, despite the growing public concern with this deeply controversial and potentially disastrous project.
Who benefits? Certainly not us.
While the tunnel will radically increase the values of waterfront property and create windfall profits for developers, the public bears all of the risk. The project is still $700 million short on dedicated funding and costs have already escalated past projections. We still don’t know who’s paying. Odds are, it’s not the developers.
Project outreach director Ron Judd closed this deal by delivering jobs to labor, but much of the money will flow out of state and overseas. As a public works projects go, the tunnel is a leaky vessel at best.
While state law requires a reduction in carbon emissions, this project will exacerbate global warming and do nothing to move us toward an environmentally sound future.
As programs serving the poor and middle class are being cut to the bone at the statehouse, politics as usual drive this risky, expensive and inappropriate transportation boondoggle forward, as if public dollars were an inexhaustible commodity.
We’ve been told time and again that the debate is over and none of this matters, that the people should just shut up and accept the deal that’s been made.
We disagree.
It’s time for the public’s voice to be heard. Real Change is a member of Protect Seattle Now and is working to bring the tunnel decision up for public vote. We need 16,500 signatures by March 28th to succeed.
We can only do this with your help. You can find out how to donate and volunteer at protectseattlenow.org.
Real Change, at 89 S. Main in Pioneer Square, is a pick-up and drop-off point for petitions during business hours Monday through Saturday. We hope you will do all you can to help us meet our ambitious goal of qualifying this issue for the ballot by the end of this month.
It is time for the public to have a say. It will be hard work, but it will be easier with your help. Please get involved in Protect Seattle Now, and help us build a better city for a sustainable future.
Comments
your bullshit.. your supporting the deep bore tunnel, just gettting signatures to gurantee it will go through after the city pays $950 million.. your petition is nothing but a stunt to give a perception of responsiblity in makingsure that there is no cost over runs. your entire petition is based on not paying anymnore than 950 million… which , by itself is a cost over run. but your not fighting that.. your sucking up to the council and mayor while still helping it go through…..
protect seattle now is not a force to stop the tunnel but a force to make it seem seattle is fiscally responsible in guranteeing no more than 950 milllion will be paid…. fuckyou and your idiot savant way
I sure hope you are for getting this tunnel to a vote of the people because it will turn out to be the worst money pit since the WPPSS mess back in early 1980. As a Civil Engineer with 35 years experience in Washington I’ve tried to inform people as to the problems this tunnel will cause but the mainstream media and powers that be will not let any negative information be printed. I don’t live in Seattle but I see a future mess for the citizens of Seattle if the tunnel is built. Prediction 70 to 120 percent overruns by the time its done and operational.
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