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Commission asks for independent review after report favors second mountain tunnel
Summary
Commissioners said an engineering report recommends building a second mountain tunnel and decommissioning the first; given the large cost—similar to San Antonio Reservoir spending—a commissioner asked staff to commission an independent challenge investigation of alternatives and staging methods.
Commissioners on March 11 asked staff to obtain an independent review of an engineering report that recommended building a second mountain tunnel rather than repairing the existing tunnel in place.
A commissioner summarized the engineering report's conclusion that a new tunnel and decommissioning of the first are the most reliable solution but also the most costly—"about twice as expensive as some of the other alternatives"—and asked that an outside reviewer challenge the assumptions and construction staging to determine whether less costly, practical options exist.
The commissioner noted the financial scale of the recommendation, saying the difference in cost "is about what we're spending on San Antonio Reservoir," and urged staff to keep safety and reliability paramount while exploring whether alternative repair or staging techniques could avoid the second-tunnel option.
Staff and other commissioners agreed that additional independent analysis was warranted given the project's cost and system importance. No formal contract award or capital-authorization decision was made at the meeting; commissioners requested further review and a report back to the commission.
