The Tunnel is the Preferred Alternative

Dear Friends,

Tomorrow, I will join federal, state, and other local officials to announce that we will be replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel that will maintain our traffic capacity and open up our waterfront.

We remember how on February 28, 2001, the Nisqually earthquake shook our region from Centralia to Carnation. Although thankfully, no one was hurt, the quake severely damaged the Alaskan Way Viaduct, or State Route 99.

The viaduct is one of the state’s most important transportation corridors, carrying 110,000 vehicles a day. Since 2001, we’ve spent millions of dollars to secure it, but no amount of patching can change the fact that the viaduct is a dying structure. In addition, the seawall’s support timbers have been eroded by gribbles and the concrete supports were damaged in the earthquake.

Both structures are vulnerable to the next quake: We must replace the viaduct and seawall. This is a 100-year opportunity to remove traffic and recreate our waterfront.

Over the course of two years, we held more than 250 meetings and received 4,000 comments from the public about how to replace the viaduct.

Two central themes emerged. First, people worried about their ability to get into and through downtown. Seattle is famous for its traffic congestion, and no one wanted it to be worse. Second, people realize that the waterfront is a precious public asset, and we should work to make it cleaner, less noisy, less harmful to our environment, and more accessible and more enjoyable for all.

We then considered the evolution of the waterfront. The waterfront used to be Seattle’s industrial back door, but now, it’s more like our front porch. It should be a place for people to enjoy, meet friends and family, and savor the views of the city and Puget Sound.

The tunnel is the right choice because it provides the capacity we need in that vital corridor, and it reconnects Seattle to its waterfront. The tunnel will make our waterfront a cleaner, quieter, more beautiful place for all.

If you would like to learn more about the tunnel and what it will do for Seattle and the region, check out www.seattle.gov/mayor. We’ve got an amazing simulation of what the tunnel will look like, as well as great renderings of how it could open up the waterfront.

Thank you for your support and involvement during the selection process. If you would like to show your support for the tunnel, come down to Fire Station 5 on the waterfront on Monday at 11:00 a.m. You can hear directly from all the people involved, as well as see the simulation and learn more about the Alaskan Way Tunnel.

Sincerely,

GREG NICKELS
Mayor of Seattle

Posted: December 6, 2004