Tunnel Costs Competitive with Bypass;
Consultant Deems Tunnel "Reasonable and Prudent"
Politicians View Tunnel Funds Favorably

On Monday, October 7, Caltrans released figures that allow the best comparison to date of tunnel and bypass costs:

• Bypass costs: $117 million. These are preliminary results of updating Caltrans' earlier estimates to take into account factors like additional bridges not covered in the original design.

• Tunnel costs: $117 - $131 million for the lowest-cost option, according to Gordon Marsh of tunnel consultants Woodward-Clyde, depending on what's included in the design. This tunnel would have two 29-foot wide bores. Other designs, including a four-lane tunnel, could run up to $148 million.

  The consultants presented a total of seven tunnel designs, each with a high-, low- and average-estimated price, so you'll hear a wide range of tunnel prices. These figures are based on design studies that are considered unusually complete for this stage of a construction project, and actual costs are not expected to vary much from these estimates.

County Supervisor Ted Lempert noted that "it is not clear here that a tunnel is necessarily more expensive than a bypass." The completed formal report is expected by October 15.

Meanwhile, Ralph Trapani, a consultant hired by the County to assist with the tunnel study, said Monday that the tunnel is a "reasonable and prudent approach" to Devil's Slide.

What Elected Officials Say About Funding...

• Rep. Tom Lantos (D-San Mateo) ­ "If voters in my district choose the tunnel alternative, I will bust my gut to see that it is funded."

• Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) ­ "If this is what the people want, then it's important for the members of the Bay Area delegation to roll up their sleeves and go to work for the people."

• Norm Mineta ­ "If the costs are relatively equal, the whole issue of bypass or tunnel I think becomes moot. If this tunnel is the locally preferred alternative, we ought to go with the community rather than jam another approach down their throats." Norm Mineta is a former longtime chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

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