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Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) says a tunnel could be an option to replace West Seattle Bridge
The idea of replacing the West Seattle Bridge with a tunnel, instead of another bridge, is gaining ground. At least it is now considered a serious alternative to a new bridge. SDOT includes an addendum in the Request for Proposals document with the text:
"Other replacement alternatives will be evaluated as part of the contract, and will include but may not be limited to tunnel and Sound Transit coordinated options."
I think we owe this to the efforts of one activist. It is said that a local retired civil engineer named Bob Ortblad first floated the idea of a tunnel. Bob Ortblad had been busy organizing meetings to promote the tunnel as a replacement option. He is a true tunneling fan. His vision of tunnels in Seattle area is not limited to West Seattle Bridge replacement. He has a couple of other tunnel ideas for Seattle.
City authorities had closed the 36 year old West Seattle Bridge in March due to infrastructure cracks. Actually the cracks were discovered as early as August 2019. What changed the mind of the authorities is the growth in the number and length of the cracks.
We will see how it will go from here.
A tunnel being considered an option for the West Seattle Bridge replacement? We owe it to the activism of one person: A local citizen, retired civil engineer Bob Ortblad.
He had been organizing discusison evening to promote the tunnel as a replacement option.
West Seattle Bridge Replacement RFQ: So far (until June 15th), 151 respondents registered on the procurement site.
Among the registrants is the Tunnel Engineering Consultants (TEC), a Netherlands based specialist company in immersed tunnel design and construction.
RFQ attracting a tunnel specialist shows that a tunnel is a viable replacement.
Is Tunnel Engineering Consultants the only tunnelling company which registered for the RFQ?
So far I know, TEC are a pure tunnel engineering company with interesting projects behind. Their specialty is not limited to immersed tunnels, though most likely an immersed tunnel is the suitable one for any West Seattle Bridge replacement. Their head office is very close to where I live.
SDOT engineers say they could fix the bridge but would definitely be remiss to just spend a lot of time and money to repair it just because they can...
https://mynorthwest.com/1960754/sdot-west-seattle-bridge-can-be-fixed/
Retired Civil Engineer Bob Ortblad is committed full time for promoting the tunnel option for the bridge replacement
In an Op-Ede, Bob Ortblad accuses the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) for deceiving the public by making the tunnel option look less attractive than it is.
SDOT's blog on West Seattle Bridge replacement/repair project
Bob Ortblad asks for a level play for assessing the bridge and tunnel options.
The “repair now, replace later” vs. “replace now” (with immersed tunnel?) decision for the West Seattle Bridge is now as little as a month away.
From eight-digit repair to ten-digit tunnel: Here’s the West Seattle Bridge Cost-Benefit Analysis.
cover tunnel photo by: Matt Brown from London, England / CC BY
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As usual, Seattle Times has fine reporting also on this one. You can also access the RFQ addendum and other many useful details.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/sdot-says-a-shallow-tunnel-could-be-an-option-to-replace-the-cracked-west-seattle-bridge/