Governor Gregoire praises Seattle City Council for approving resolution to move State Route 99 bored tunnel forward

For Immediate Release: August 2, 2010

OLYMPIA - Gov. Chris Gregoire today issued the following statement praising Seattle City Council members as they approved a resolution endorsing draft agreements for the proposed bored tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct:

"It�s critical that we move forward to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct for the safety of the thousands of people who depend on this corridor for their daily commute and for the health of our local economy.

�The single biggest risk to the cost of this project is delay. Today's vote by the Seattle City Council keeps this project on schedule. By moving forward with these technical agreements, we will be able to take advantage of the best environment for construction bids in recent history and get the best possible value for the taxpayer�s dollars.

�I want to thank Council President Richard Conlin, the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Special Committee Co-chairs Tom Rasmussen, Sally Bagshaw, and Sally Clark, and their colleagues for their dedication to this project."

The Council's resolution allows WSDOT to forward the agreements to the design-build teams preparing bored tunnel proposals, which will be submitted this fall. The Council expects to approve the agreements when WSDOT awards the contract early next year.

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