WSDOT promises taxpayers not on hook for Seattle tunnel overruns

The Washington State Department of Transportation is making it crystal clear the contractor will foot the bill if Seattle’s tunnel project runs over budget.

Unlike other WSDOT projects where the agency designs the work then asks contractors to bid to do the job as specified, the Seattle tunnel project is what’s known as “design-build,” said WSDOT tunnel project manager Todd Trepanier in a conference call Wednesday.

Under a design-build contract, the contractor defines how the work will be completed and agrees to a fixed price.

“Design-build was a specific tool picked basically to protect the taxpayers,” Trepanier said. “That was very important to us on this project because we’re experts in bridges and roads, we’re certainly not experts on a five-story, six-story tunneling machine, this kind of soft bore tunneling.”

The state has successfully managed a number of “design-build” projects recently including the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, I-5 Everett HOV lanes, and several others.

It allows more flexibility and creativity for contractors to deliver a project for a lower price and also limits risk to taxpayers, Trepanier said.

“What that means is they’re saying ‘I will design this, figure everything out about and deliver you a finished project for this fixed price,'” he said of the $1.4 billion project.

Questions have been raised about who’s responsible for the problems that have halted the drilling machine known as Bertha.

Bertha has traveled 1,025 feet since drilling began July 30. It was shutdown Dec. 7 after hitting a then unknown object and overheating. It traveled an additional 4 feet during experimental restart efforts Jan. 28-29.

“We haven’t seen any evidence from STP that suggests that the state or the taxpayers will be responsible for any costs that this might incur to them because of this delay,” Trepanier said.

WSDOT and Seattle Tunnel Partners have confirmed the $80 million tunnel machine has damage to the seals that lubricate and protect the main bearing that enables the drive shaft to turn the cutter.

The contractor is now working to come up with a fix. WSDOT said earlier this week it could be months before Bertha can be repaired and tunneling resumes. One option discussed is digging a pit 115 feet deep in front of the drill to remove the 630 ton cutter-head to replace the seals.

“Bertha is totally the responsibility of the contractor to supply it, it’s totally the responsibility of the contractor to operate it, it’s totally the responsibility of the contractor, STP, to be able to deliver this entire tunnel,” Trepanier insisted. And he emphasized Seattle Tunnel Partners will be fined if the project runs over its estimated completion date.

“Contractually, if they don’t construct this project opening for traffic by a certain date, they start getting assessed an amount of money,” he said.