| Deep-bore Tunnel | University Link | |
| Cost | $1.96-$3.1 billion 1 | $1.9 billion |
| Length | 2 miles | 3.15 miles |
| Exits | 0 | 2 |
| Projected Daily Traffic (2030) | 72,000 vehicles | 70,000-142,000+ people 2 |
| Capacity per hour | 8,800 cars 3 | 48,000 people 4 |
| Fare | $0.94-$2.25 5 | $2.00 6 |
| Overruns paid by | ? 7 | Sound Transit |
Via Seattle Transit Blog. Click through for full post and footnotes.
I think ST contractors are on the hook for cost over runs for their projects. The agency uses huge contingency and project reserve budgets to cover unforseen issues not directly related to each contract. The state is doing that, too, with the AWV tunnel.
Mark: U-Link is much more heavily padded than the viaduct, yes.
Central Link actually had ~$100m left over after construction – the 2001 budget held for eight years, which was pretty damn good. U-Link is more conservative than that, plus another $100m in padding was added at the end because the FTA asked for it. It’s likely to come in something like $300m under, given that all the bids have been far lower than expected.