Writing in '' The Stranger '' in June 2010 during negotiations on a master contract with the state , McGinn stated , " Ninety percent of megaprojects have cost overruns & hellip ; Seattle has to pay overruns , but has no say over the project & hellip ; b ecause the tunnel is a state-controlled project , and the state maintains all decision-making authority over it & hellip ; Cost overruns could lead to severe cuts to basic services . " In February 2011 , when the Seattle City Council voted 8-1 to sign an agreement allowing the tunnel project to proceed , McGinn vetoed the ordinance . The City Council then overrode his veto , again 8-1 . After the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake in Japan McGinn , citing the quake , called for the viaduct to be pulled down a year early . No plan to replace or mitigate the lost traffic capacity was put forward . The call is opposed by some businesses and transportation experts . The president of Ballard 's North Seattle Industrial Association called the likely fallout of early closure " a horror show " citing the corridor 's role as the primary arterial for workers , equipment and supplies between manufacturers along Seattle 's two key manufacturing zones , the Duwamish Waterway and along the Lake Washington Ship Canal . Washington 's State 's Department of Transportation viaduct program administrator also opposed the idea saying , " To simply close the viaduct without a reasonable replacement in place would be very damaging to the city of Seattle economically . To start over now and pursue a new alternative would delay the overall project schedule . The viaduct is just as vulnerable as it was before the earthquake in Japan . " After having his veto on the tunnel overridden McGinn called for a referendum challenging the tunnel . Two of his staff members took temporary leaves of absence to work on the anti-tunnel campaign and McGinn and his wife both donated money ; Councilmember Sally Clark 's aide took a leave of absence to run the pro-tunnel campaign . He called for others to support the measure and donate money . After the campaign turned in 29,000 signatures , Washington State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said that delays and court costs associated with the referendum will cost the city $ 54 million and Ron Paananen , the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement project administrator , said should it succeed it would cost the city over $ 1 billion . Fellow tunnel opponent City Councilman Mike O'Brien said that , when looked at a different way , cancelling the tunnel would save the city $ 700 million . The resulting referendum , on which a yes-vote was effectively pro-tunnel , was approved by approximately 60 percent of Seattle voters
Tōhoku earthquake
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Michael McGinn