Brightwater Tunnel Breakthrough, Courtesy Dow “Kick-Ass” Constantine

Here’s something you don’t see every day. We mentioned in mid-July that the end of tunnel-boring in the Brighwater saga was drawing near, and here is video evidence of the actual breakthrough of the final 1.9 miles of the four-mile BT-3 tunnel.

“Reaching this major milestone, and reaching it early, is the result of making a tough, high-stakes decision soon after I took office to get a new contractor on board to keep the Brightwater project on track,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “I want to extend my congratulations to the contractor and to our dedicated employees for a job well-done.”

It doesn’t get much more high-stakes–Constantine put the county’s credit on the line, but the proof as they say, is in the sludgy pudding about 300 feet below Lake Forest Park. On the other hand, what can’t Constantine do? He’s juggled $60 million deficits, kept Brightwater from boondoggle status, and most recently talked not one but two Republicans into raising car tab fees to pay for transit. Perhaps later he’ll leap Snake River on a rocket cycle.

Tunnelers JDC have completed mining a month ahead of schedule, which makes them eligible for $ million in hurry-up incentives, plus “additional incentives of up to $2 million for completing the remaining non-mining elements of the work early.” On the to-do list still:

• installation of the final lining on the 4-mile BT-4 tunnel
• building a sampling facility at Point Wells
• connecting the Brightwater conveyance pipeline to a mile-long marine outfall
• restoring the 9-acre Point Wells portal site near Richmond Beach

The county’s whole contract with JDC is estimated at some $77.3 million. The County says the $1.8-billion Brightwater project is currently within 3.3 percent of its 2004 baseline budget “when accounting for 5 percent inflation.” The Brightwater conveyance tunnel itself should come in at about $141 million less than budgeted, depending on how the County does on litigation with tunnel contractor VPFK over $206 million in disputed costs.