Judy Clibborn (D-41), head of the state House transportation committee, says there's no way the legislature will revisit the issue of cost overruns on the waterfront tunnel this session.

Mayor-elect Mike McGinn, in direct conflict with the city's adopted legislative agenda, has said that he wants to "resolve the issue of who will pay for cost overruns." Currently, the tunnel agreement with the state puts city taxpayers on the hook for anything above the state's $2.4 billion contribution.

Clibborn says that reopening the cost overruns issue could potentially kill the whole project. "Revisiting anything on the tunnel is an opportunity for mischief. ... It's only an opportunity to stop the tunnel" by reopening the entire debate, Clibborn says. "I don't intend to touch it."

Clibborn also notes that the upcoming short (January 11 through March 11) session, when legislators will be focused single-mindedly on the budget shortfall, is not the time to revisit the tunnel issue. "With all the things that we have on our plates this session, we should not be spending one minute on that amendment."

"As far as I'm concerned," Clibborn says, "nothing's going to happen."