Devil's Slide tunnel project overcomes final hurdle By MATT KAPKO Half Moon Bay Review September 15, 2004 The long ride toward a Devil's Slide tunnel appears to be over after the governor signed a bill last week that transfers open land from the California Department of Transportation to state parks' control. The project also faced two appeals at the California Coastal Commission last week. Both were denied. "The Devil's Slide tunnel project can begin and that's tremendous," said Lennie Roberts, who's been advocating for the tunnel since the project's inception in 1971. "There's a really long and torturous history to this thing, but it's over," she said. Throughout the process she's been amazed by the collaborative efforts of so many agencies and individuals. Assembly Speaker Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, did some last-minute lobbying in the weeks before the legislative session ended to ensure the bill's passage. "I was pleasantly surprised by the governor's signing of the bill," Yee said. "A number of Republicans voted against that, so the fact that he went against some of his colleagues in the Republican Party was a nice surprise." He considers the tunnel an important transportation necessity that will provide a "safe and reliable entry and exit along the coast area." His biggest concern now is with getting the project completed sooner rather than later. "I'm very happy that everything's moving along now," he said. "This is an important issue where we're going to devote staff time to just stay on top of it so that it just moves along as quickly as possible." Pending any changes or unforeseen circumstances in the project's plans, Yee anticipates the process to be in full swing shortly. "I'm going to make sure that this tunnel project does not go the same way as the Bay Bridge - where there's just delays and delays, and by the time we really get to it the cost overrun is going to be just enormous and then the project is torpedoed," he said. "They should be able to start," Roberts said. "That was the last step." Home