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The Alaskan Way Viaduct, completed on April 4, 1953, is an elevated section of Battery Street Tunnel in the north, following previously existing Railroad lines. EARTHQUAKE CONCERNS The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake destroyed the similarly designed Cypress Street Viaduct in Oakland, California with considerable loss of life. The 2001 Nisqually Earthquake damaged the viaduct and its supporting Alaskan Way Seawall and required the Washington State Department Of Transportation (WSDOT) to invest $3.5 million U.S. in emergency repairs. Experts give a 1-in-20 chance that the viaduct could be shut down by an Earthquake within the next decade. Since the Nisqually Earthquake occurred, semi-annual inspections have discovered continuing settlement damage. Due to damage from earthquakes and sinking, a group of faculty from the University of Washington urged the mayor of Seattle (in 2005) to close the viaduct within a two-year timeframe. Seattle Times:Shut down the viaduct (March 2, 2006) Whether to remove, replace, or rebuild the viaduct is a politically charged issue. Proponents of removing the viaduct cite successful examples of this such as The Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco, in which demolition and routing traffic along surface streets enhanced the city's waterfront. Proponents of viaduct rebuilding project that surface streets might not be able to handle the traffic that the viaduct currently supports without extensive improvements. Proponents of viaduct replacement with a tunnel argue that, while the tunnel is an expensive project, it would maintain traffic capacity and also create new opportunities for downtown city redevelopment, with potential benefits of low-income housing, new park space, and new retail and office space. FUTURE PLANS Governor that supports the viaduct in the near future. WSDOT - Project - SR 99 - Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement However, there is no consensus on whether to remove, replace, or rebuild the viaduct. Many Seattle leaders, including Mayor Greg Nickels and state and city transportation officials, favor building a tunnel. Plans for a six-lane double-decker tunnel were developed. Seattle Channel -- News Room -- Alaskan Way Viaduct In-depth The tunnel was envisioned as a solution to not only the viaduct's traffic limitations and safety problems, but also to allow better uses for the waterfront real estate, including parks, housing, and retail developments. While future development of the Alaskan Way real estate corridor may provide tax revenue for the city, many state lawmakers claimed the originally proposed six-lane tunnel project was too costly. In response to concerns about the cost of the originally proposed tunnel construction, the city council created a scaled-down four-lane hybrid tunnel option. In mid-December of 2006, Governor Gregoire stated the decision was at a stalemate and called for an advisory ballot on March 13th for Seattle residents. Surface-tunnel hybrid
On February 13th, 2007, Governor Christine Gregoire rejected the scaled-down four-lane tunnel hybrid option, saying that the recent WSDOT review showed the tunnel proposal "does not meet state and federal safety standards." Of particular concern is that the use of shoulders as traffic lanes during peak traffic times would leave no additional lanes for emergency access.[http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_XGR_Seattle_Viaduct.html?source=mypi Gov, lawmakers reject tunnel option to replace Seattle viaduct] Elevated structure
Many prominent leaders and organizations are against an elevated structure and believe this is a unique opportunity to remove the viaduct and connect downtown Seattle to the waterfront. Former Governors Dan Evans and Gary Locke , former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton , and the American Institute Of Architects recommend against rebuilding the viaduct. Open Letter to Governor Chris Gregoire Remove the viaduct This option is strongly backed by King County Executive Ron Sims, and by the People's Waterfront Coalition. MorePerfect.org: People's Waterfront Coalition KNDO/KNDU: WA gov nixes `surface option' on Seattle waterfront; Sims furious This option was not on the March 13th ballot, but a rejection of the other two proposals could have indicated support for this alternative. The state and county currently have experts exploring the proposal and will report back to leaders when their assessment is complete. Proponents offer examples of successes in other cities and outline the plan and its potential benefits as follows:
Due to removal, construction, or earthquake, there will be a multi-year period when the viaduct is closed. During this time, the city of Seattle could move forward with improvements to the downtown traffic grid and public transportation, while collecting information on whether additional transit capacity is needed.[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002837776_viaduct02.html The Seattle Times: Shut down the viaduct.] This approach would allow Seattle to determine whether it can replicate the success of The Embarcadero in San Francisco. Earthwork Excavation for the tunnel option would involve both excavation along the waterfront and a re-excavation of the existing Battery Street Tunnel , which is level with the viaduct. The experience of Boston 's Big Dig project, where a viaduct was converted into an underground tunnel, albeit not a Cut-and-cover Tunnel as would be the case in Seattle, illustrates the schedule and budget challenges of such a large project. Proponents have taken pains to distinguish Seattle's "Little Dig" from Boston's I-93 tunnel project. Seattle Weekly: Seattle's Little Dig (April 19, 2006) Costs Money is a major issue in the viaduct debate: Seattle's budget in the early 2000s was stretched thin because of unemployment, the loss of Boeing jobs, and the lingering effects of the Dot-com Crash . Replacement options under consideration range in cost from $2.5 billion to $4.1 billion and a completion time of up to 12 years. On September 7 , 2004 , WSDOT announced that the alternatives had been narrowed down to two: # Rebuilding the viaduct (estimated cost, $3.2 to $3.5 billion; estimated time, 6-8 years) # Replacing the viaduct with a six-lane tunnel (estimated cost, $3.6 to $4.1 billion; estimated time, 7-9 years) However, due to the costs and scope of the project, the other options are still being discussed in the local media. Seattle City Council member Peter Steinbrueck notes that "While the mayor's first choice is the tunnel, he supports the City Council's resolution that designates a surface and transit alternative as a backup." Seattle Times: Climate's Right For Fresh Viaduct Plan (Oct 10, 2006) Current funding
Mayor , the Downtown Seattle Association is arguing for funding source used for the Monorail project be used to replace the viaduct. The source for the Monorail project was an excise tax based on tables approximating the value of vehicles registered within Seattle. The valuation tables have generated their own controversy, which resulted in the state wide tax vehicle excise being repealed. Ballot vote On March 13, 2007, an advisory ballot allowed citizens to vote on whether they support a surface-tunnel hybrid and whether they support an elevated structure alternative. official ballot - King County, WA Special Election, MARCH 13, 2007 (pdf) Voters rejected the surface-tunnel hybrid option 70% to 30% and rejected the elevated structure (rebuild) option 57% to 43%. King County Election Results It was unclear what it would have meant if voters approved both options. The Seattle Times: Politics: Viaduct vote set; state may ignore it Rejecting both options would have indicated a preference to earthquake-proof the existing viaduct or removal of the viaduct without replacing it. ENTRANCES & EXITS REFERENCES SEE ALSO
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