Rantz: Um, a pothole already stalled traffic in brand new SR 99 tunnel

The brand new, overdue, over budget SR 99 tunnel has already suffered from a pothole that stifled some midday traffic. That’s right: a pothole. On recently-laid pavement that few cars have traveled on.

It’s unclear when the pothole formed, but WSDOT tweeted just before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday that crews had closed off the left lane to begin working on filling the hole. Minutes later, they tweeted the road had been patched up.

#Seattle: All clear on northbound SR 99 inside the tunnel. A look at the patch: pic.twitter.com/SnjEaX8e2t

— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) March 28, 2019

It’s unclear how the pothole formed, given the tunnel only recently opened and is completely protected from the elements. Potholes generally form after water seeps through cracks in the pavement, which causes the area to sink and break apart. The situation can be made worse during especially cold weather as the water freezes and separates the pavement at a more rapid rate. It wasn’t anywhere near freezing weather on Wednesday afternoon.

Potentially more troubling in this case, WSDOT says incorrectly-paved streets could lead to potholes, writing in a pothole FAQ (yes, I read it on a Wednesday night while drinking a glass of chardonnay from a box):

Traffic that is too heavy for the pavement’s design can result in cracks. Large volumes of traffic or heavy trucks and buses using a street not designed for this load can cause the pavement to crack and break apart.

If this is the cause of the pothole, it’s another disappointment that this epic failure of a megaproject has caused us.

Last year, WSDOT filled over 35,000 potholes. That’s a lot. Many remain unfilled.

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