Unusual Circumstances Surround Viaduct Video Release

By Erica C. Barnett, Monday, October 26, 2009 at 5:55 PM
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As we noted in Morning Fizz this morning when we wrote about WSDOT’s curiously timed video release, it’s hardly standard operating procedure for public agencies to release responses to public records requests to the general public.

Last night, Washington State Department of Transportation viaduct project director Rob Paananen explained that the agency had no choice but to release an alarming video (they posted it on their website) showing the viaduct collapsing in an earthquake because, he wrote, “we received a public disclosure request” for the video.

Meanwhile,  WSDOT still hasn’t released any of the documents to the general public that revealed WSDOT skewed its numbers to favor the tunnel, which I wrote about last week. The timing of today’s release—one week before the mayor’s race—seems more than just coincidental: One candidate, Joe Mallahan, supports the tunnel; the other, Mike McGinn, opposes it.

The request was made more than a month ago, on September 23—by anti-tunnel activist Elizabeth Campbell, who is suing the state to stop the tunnel from moving forward. (Another records request by Campbell resulted in the trove of documents that led to my story last week). Campbell says WSDOT told her it would take between six and eight months to fulfill her request, which included other documents. The first time she saw the video (or even knew WSDOT was making it available) was on KING-5 TV, which aired the video last night. WSDOT still has not responded directly to the release.

She said she heard about the video in passing, and that she didn’t “really think anything of it” when she made the request. “I don’t know that I would have thought it was earth-shaking” if WSDOT had released it to her before posting it on the agency’s official blog, she says. “It doesn’t necessarily feed into my agenda” to create panic about the need to move forward replacing the viaduct immediately, she adds.

Campbell thinks the video was released to coincide with the mayor’s race. She notes that than two weeks ago, pro-tunnel Gov. Christine Gregoire endorsed Mallahan. Four days later, the city council passed a memorandum of understanding with the state saying they’d support the tunnel. “It’s all meant to promote this idea that the tunnel is a done deal,” Campbell says. “I don’t think it was just a coincidence that they suddenly decided to release it.”

  • hmmmm
    Also: this piece seems to be another case of "after this, therefore, because of this".
  • hmmmm
    If these are "unusual circumstances" then by logic there would otherwise be "normal" or "usual" circumstamces. If we cannot explain what these might entail, then "unusual" is a straw man argument for a non story.
  • JayL
    And to #18 Ryan's post, its pretty amusing, someone already pulled the Mallahan Youtube video, so I guess we can't laugh any more...
  • Mr. X
    I'd like to see a video of what would happen if they did nothing but retrofit the seawall. Or one of the more likely 6.5-6.8 magnitude quake that periodically occurs in these parts.

    I'm guessing that those scenarios wouldn't support the decision WSDOT made over 15 years ago to replace the AWV with a tolled tunnel, however.
  • splish splash
    Did you like WSDOT's movie?
    Then you'll LOVE NOAA's Tsunami animation of a 7.2 Seattle Fault earthquake causing 2 meter seabed uplift resulting in inundation of Seattle's shoreline all along Elliott Bay!


    I have total confidence in the professionalism at WSDOT - they'll install flood gates on the tunnel entrances and 12K gpm pumps to prevent leakage and in case of tsunami. Here's another NOAA Tsunami animation for Elliott Bay:
    http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/animations/seattle_ca...>
  • Pete
    @32, not "solid rock" but mostly consolidated, or more accurately, compacted till, a kind of glacial deposit. There are likely areas of recessional/advance outwash (sandy lenses) in the DBT corridor as well.
  • Won't everything crumble?
    Why focus billions on hardening ONE public asset when in a 7.0 Big One half of our homes will crumble, most bridges (Aurora, Southpark, WSB) will crumble, and we'll all be crawling through the rubble trying desperately to get medical attention for tens of thousands of victims but unable to do so because we can't drive ANYWHERE and there are NO bridges and we can't freaking GET to Harborview?


    the money is better spent creating health clinics with morphine in every neighborhood and basic surgery rooms with practice drills so that RN's and MDs know where to assemble. Because they won't be able to get to their hospitals anyway, either.

    And by the way, there won't be ANY demand for tips in the DBT because no one will be able to drive TO it after a 7.0.

    We need a video showing a 7.0 and how it affects ALL of our region, not just one asset.


    And yes total bullshit to pay for this and hold it then release it before the election, what a shitty government.
  • It's been noticed. As has been mentioned elsewhere, liquefaction would only occur where the City is built on fill, i.e. the waterfront and areas from Pioneer Square south. As the elevation rises, you're on solid rock, and most of the tunnel would be built within that solid rock.
  • paorea
    Why hasn't it been noticed the ground that would contain the tunnel liquifies in an earthquake? Then ask, what would happen to the tunnel in an earthquake? Would you want to be in it? Buried alive. Uh.
  • 26. Haven't you heard? Everything the WSDOT does is part of a right-wing conspiracy to destroy the surface/transit option. Dave Dye's going to get sandwiches for lunch today, clearly with the intent of screwing Mike McGinn and manipulating public opinion.
  • Davy
    $80K for this video? F**k it, I am voting yes on 1033.
  • geology 101
    and then there's this: http://seattletransitblog.com/2009/10/26/viaduc...

    so distrusting of WSDOT right now. is there not one politician that will man up (figuratively) and ask some friggin' questions?
  • eddiew
    consider the Howie post. the earthquake simulation was made before the deep bore decision. at that time, the Governor had said she would take the AWV down in 2012 as it was dangerous (and it probably is). but the deep bore option keeps it standing for three more years for the sake of bypass traffic through downtown Seattle. the implementation of the South King Street interchange will be delayed until after the south portal opens. we still await the deep bore cost estimates and the toll revenue estimates to be provided to Olympia in January. there may be no conspriracy at all.
  • Anne
    What's so wrong with this being released? That's the whole point of public disclosure rules.

    Why the giant conspiracy theory?

    People have the right to see it.

    The end.
  • johnmocha
    I thought McGinn was against tunnels. So how does he have an advantage if we build one. He confuses me. What does he want? It's not clear.
  • Wells
    The real question to ask is which replacement alternative lessens the danger of collapse soonest. The answer to that question is Surface/I-5/Transit by I think it's 2 years.

    Advantage: Mike McGinn

    Or is it the 4-lane Cut-n-cover or the Deep-bore?

    Rebuilding the Seawall is the critical component and puts the cut-n-cover in last place, as it would combine massive trench construction at the same time.

    However, anything going wrong with Deep-bore construction puts that option in last place.

    The cut-n-cover decommissions the AWV as soon as the portal at Pike is finished putting that option ahead of the Deep-bore.

    Advantage: Mike McGinn
  • Puzzled
    This is a simple case of 'don't wish for what you want because you might get it.' Better luck next time.
  • johnmocha
    Wouldn't this help McGinn? It gets rid of the Viaduct quickly, wipes out cars and leaves the bikers unharmed. All at no cost to Seattle. Isn't that his plan?
  • Rob
    The term "Conspiracy theory" is often used in order to prevent examination of unusual circumstances.

    The timing and method of the release of this video warrant further examination.
  • sarah68
    Nobody reads stuff anymore. Publicola is a tunnel itself and we're reading sound effects.

    My neighbor is an extremely intelligent, cynical, and sophisticated thinker. Yes, even in Lake City. But she told me today that she's voting for Mallahan so that "we'll finally build something." You can't expect any more sense out of the people who are 30 points lower on the IQ scale than she is.
  • Howie B
    I'm still not yet clear as to how this is so good for Mallahan.

    WSDOT released a video that makes it as an agency look not so great. It was made two years ago, while WSDOT was still considering a cut and cover tunnel. It doesn't explicitly call out how bored tunnel would be magically better. For that matter, it doesn't say why a viaduct rebuilt wouldn't be good.

    Essentially, the video confirms what we all knew -- the AWV is a dangerous piece of junk and earthquakes are bad.

    Why can't it just be left at that? Why does it have to be a conspiracy theory? And why in the world would Erica Barnett be so quick to cozy up to Elizabeth Campbell?

    This site makes no sense.
  • Ryan
    If you are even considering voting for Mallahan please watch this video the Fireman's Union made for him.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gi8vCCRlbw&...

    Now after laughing yourself out of voting for Mallahan please watch this video McGinn supporters in SE Seattle made for him.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7eEaGQ4x1Y&...
  • LeftToast
    @13,

    Except Campbell/Barnett launched a preemptive war with a scud missile against a nuclear armed opponent that was all-too-prepared to respond with overwhelming and disproportionate force.
  • Davy
    "almost journalism"

    Near-journalism.
  • This the "fun" part of having multiple rss feeds, seeing an email dump to a willing newsy blog, get repeated by a former newspaper, making it almost journalism.
  • @10, the lazy folks at the SeattlePI.com repeated that email dump as if it were actual journalism, just as they repeated Josh's "why now" today.
  • And last week Erica published whatever Elizabeth Campbell gave her.
    That was before the election, too.

    kettle, pot, pot, kettle

    http://publicola.net/?p=16697

    Other than the hypocracy, this is almost interesting.
  • Davy
    Hopefully it'll happen on the last Friday of the month, when Critical Massholes has taken over the lower deck....kill two birds with one stone.
  • Timothy
    Manufacturing consent.
  • Pete
    @9, you think WSDOT cares if the emails were posted on P-cola? I've been looking around and I haven't seen it picked up in print, so I'm not sure of the value of this "big" story. But who knows, maybe this seed of a story will germinate.

    I think it's more likely that WSDOT was waiting until after the agreement on the DBT was approved by council and signed by Nickels and Gregoire. The timing of that (the agreement approval and signing) was definitely political - Nickels is doing everything possible to secure the DBT before the election in case McGinn is elected.
  • LeftToast
    @8,

    Actually, it makes lots of sense. The powers that be at WSDOT were pissed that Campbell dimed them out to Barnett last week for her big story. And the retaliation was the release of the video.
  • Jane
    Uh, isn't this all about Elizabeth Campbell making her request?

    Isn't there a law about the timing of when info has to be released after a public disclosure request?

    It sounds like they released because of the Campbell request and that shoots the conspiracy theory all to hell.

    That is a lot less fun to write about.
  • Mr. X
    ...and that was my impression well before I read that the person who had actually made the Public Disclosure request was unaware that this (campaign) video had been released...
  • Ryno M
    Especially when you are afraid the public will vote against you and your tunnel-building overlords.
  • Seattle Resident
    Of course it was released in line with the election. Many bureaucratic decisions are made (or not made) to coincide with an election. There's no conspiracy; it's just common sense. People are not stupid; they know how important elections are to giant decision-making processes.
  • Mr. X
    @2,

    I'm not supporting either McGinn or Mallahan, but the timing of the release of this new video ought to seem fishy to any observer with an IQ at or above room temperature.
  • I smell a media conspiracy.
  • chicagoexpat
    look, we all know the Kool Aid Drinkers for McGinn are just hoping to delay the tunnel long enough for the next big earthquake to hit & smash a bunch of evil old cars (and teach them drivers & riders a lesson!!!)

    Only you & the teabaggers smell a conspiracy
  • Stacy
    “I don’t think it was just a coincidence that they suddenly decided to release it.”

    And neither should any of us.
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