Web Site | Contact me | About the Legislature
41st Legislative District November 6, 2009
Friends and neighbors,
One of the good news stories of 2009 has been the state’s highway construction program. This summer marked the state’s largest ever construction season.
In this edition of my e-newsletter I’ll tell you more about the progress that’s being made, moving forward on replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct, and where we’re at in the process of replacing the 520 floating bridge.
On time and under budget
Two major transportation funding packages approved this decade produced a record construction season this year for the state Department of Transportation. And the results have been worth writing home about.
Since 2003, 194 projects have been finished at a cost of $2.5 billion. Of those, 90 percent were finished on time, 88 percent were finished on budget and 78 percent were both on time and on budget. A number of them actually came in under budget.
As of mid-year, 102 projects additional projects were either under construction or about to be advertised for construction.
The other good news story is that construction bids are continuing to come in below original estimates. More than 87 percent of contracts signed during the fiscal year that ended June 30 were for less than the original engineering estimate. And bids for projects being funded by federal stimulus dollars are coming in 13 percent under budget, on average.
Replacing the viaduct
Recently, Gov. Chris Gregoire and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels signed an agreement to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep bore tunnel. In doing so, they put to rest a great debate that had ensnared and divided many interests in the Puget Sound region.
That leaves us with one important thing to do — deliver a tunnel. We must ensure mobility through Seattle. Now it’s time to get to work.
The engineering on the tunnel is no more than 3 percent complete. And though a 30 percent contingency has been built into the working cost estimates, we won’t truly understand the full cost and scope of this project until engineering is about 25 to 30 percent finished.
It’s not unlike what happens when you remodel your kitchen. You don’t start it without having drawn up your best estimates on the back of a napkin. But it isn’t until you actually get well into design — choosing materials for counters and appliances, for example — that you know what you’re in for. Obviously, tunnel design is way beyond the “back of the envelope” stage. But, as design proceeds we will learn more about the challenges of this particular mega-project.
And, we’re getting started.
Work to replace 520 underway
With pontoon construction having commenced in Grays Harbor County and Tacoma, work on replacing the floating bridge over Lake Washington is finally underway.
Environmental work is wrapping up and a record of decision is nearing on plans for the 520 corridor east of the bridge. The design process is scheduled to begin in the spring.
Last session we created a legislative work group which is scheduled to present a recommendation for how to align and pay for improvements on the west side of the corridor by year’s end. The Legislature will then have to approve plans when it convenes for its 2010 session in January.
I’m optimistic all of this will fall into place and the project will stay on schedule to deliver a new, six-lane bridge in 2016.
Looking ahead
Of course, our state has many more transportation needs. And within the next four to six years we will exhaust funding from the gas tax increases approved earlier this decade. Those revenues will be dedicated to paying construction debt on the projects delivered this decade.
To continue to invest in our transportation system, the Legislature will have to consider a new funding package in the 2011 time frame. What that might look like is highly unclear. As people drive fewer miles and drive more energy efficient cars, our ability to rely on the state’s gas tax is eroded.
The state’s Joint Transportation Committee is studying the use of an array of funding alternatives, including things like tolling, congestion pricing, barrel fees, pricing according to vehicle miles travelled and an array of other options.
The committee has posted quite a bit of information about its study on its website. You can learn about the implementation and criteria to evaluate various funding methods here. A draft white paper on the subject has been posted here. And to learn about impacts of various funding scenarios, go here.
As an aside, I’d encourage you to check out a recent study conducted by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee about the science of estimating construction costs some two to four years before construction starts. It studied 96 major projects funded in state construction budgets between 2002 and 2008 and found that costs at the various stages of development matched original estimates —within an industry standard variation — 71 percent to 74 percent of the time.
The variation following the design phase of a given project, as set by the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International, ranges from 5 percent under to 10 percent over original cost estimates.
There were no trends that explained why the cost of some projects did not match original estimates. Inflation, changes and market conditions and changes to the scope of a project during development were common reasons.
Stay in touch
As always, I want to hear your views on the issues that are important to you and your family. You may reach me by email at Jarrett_fr@leg.wa.gov, or call my office in Olympia at 360-786-7894, or you may use the Legislative Hotline Number 1-800-562-6000.
As I mentioned above, I will periodically continue these e-letters and to give you my perspective on the preparation for and progress of the legislative session. Obviously, I would love to get yours as well. I appreciate all your e-mails.
And, let me know if you want to have your name taken off the distribution list or a friend added.
Take care,
