Big, fat I-told-you-so: Seattle tunnel review panel completely bogus

The only oversight for the Seattle tunnel project was eliminated by the Legislature and KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson says good riddance.

“That gives me another big, fat ‘I-told-you-so,'” Dori said.

The duties of the Expert Review Panel, charged with offering perspective on the project, will be passed to lawmakers, The Seattle Times reports.

Lawmakers decided to disband the panel just a few months after it released an analysis claiming that most of the project was going well, Dori said.

“The reason I bring this up is because if you need an example of the cronyism of state government [this is it],” Dori said. “They tried to tell us two months ago everything was fine. No. Everything has been designed to reward the friends of those connected and continue to scam tax payers out of billions of dollars.”

The chairperson of the panel was making $100,000 a year, the Times reports.

Dori credits lawmakers, specifically Republicans, for making the decision to oversee the project. Lawmakers will seek information from project leaders themselves to determine the state of the project, according to the Times.

The decision to eliminate the panel comes after continuing struggles for the Seattle tunnel project and Bertha the boring machine. The project is more than one year behind and expected to cost more than budgeted for.

The panel was the only link between the state and Seattle Tunnel Partners. However, lawmakers worried the panel’s work would put the state at risk by not keeping enough distance between it and contractors. Under the current agreement, Seattle Tunnel Partners is supposed to complete building and engineering with a $1.35 billion contract. If it was determined the state had a hand in the project, even advice, it could become responsible for additional costs.

Now without a panel, what does the future hold for the project?

More delays for Bertha, viaduct project