Dori makes his case for why everyone is wrong about the Seattle tunnel project

Taken from Friday’s Dori Monson Show on KIRO Radio

We found out that the Seattle tunnel is at least $223 million over budget.

I am here to tell you that is a big, fat lie.

Because it’s not $223 million over budget. It’s $523 million over budget. And I don’t know how they’re cooking the books and the numbers.

Related: Tunnel project is delayed again

Remember when Paula Hammond was WSDOT secretary of transportation? I made a bet that the project would be over budget and not on time.

She told the Seattle Rotary this:

The project may cost $2.8 billion. We believe we could bring it in for under, although we’re not going to talk too much about that until we get further in our design. And some people say we’ve got it priced too low. Legislatures and talk show hosts say we’ve priced it too low. The new big game is Dori Monson will quit his job on the radio if we bring it in under budget. That’s enough incentive for us to bring it in under budget.

And you know what? I still have a job and Paula Hammond doesn’t.

I bring that up because they say the original cost was $3.1 billion and now it’s $223 million over budget.

But Hammond said the project may cost $2.8 billion. They’re now saying the extra $3 billion is for the entrance and exit ramps — nonsense. Again, they said it was going to be $2.8 billion.

Now, in all these stories they say the original cost was $3.1 billion and $223 million over budget. No. I have the proof that the original cost was $2.8 billion and it is $523 million over budget.

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