Or in anticipation of spending them. If you’re wondering what those big trucks are doing on 1st Ave. side streets, they’re drilling for soil samples in preparation for the $4.2 billion, deep-bore, viaduct-replacement tunnel (as speculated by hugeasscity, which rightly notes Frank Chopp’s power to kill the project). While WSDOT has been able to use some soil samples from past studies, says spokesperson Kristy Van Ness, most of the old drilling didn’t go deep enough, so they’re doing it again.