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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Cut and cover tunnel gets strongest support
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
6/12/2006 6:00:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
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Cut & cover tunnel gets strongest support
Rebuilding Viaduct an also-ran in new Elway poll
SEATTLE - A recent poll by Seattle pollster Stuart Elway shows that the tunnel
is the number one pick of Seattle voters. In a sampling of 400 registered voters
June 1 - 5, the tunnel received 32 percent, while replacing the Viaduct with
a new and larger elevated structure received just 21 percent.
“The people of Seattle understand the significance of investing in the
future of our waterfront,” said Mayor Greg Nickels. “The 50-year
scar of the viaduct on our city needs to be removed, not expanded, not enlarged,
not made permanent. This is the commitment we must make for all the generations
to come.”
The results showed the following support:
• Tunnel: 32%
• Repair the current Viaduct: 28%
• Replace the current Viaduct with a new one: 21%
• Tear down the Viaduct and don’t replace it: 12%
• Don't Know: 7%
More people supported repairing the current Viaduct than replacing it with
a new and larger structure. Engineers with the Washington State Department
of Transportation have previously found that repairing the dangerously deteriorating
structure was not a viable option.
When voters were asked which option they would pick if cost were not a factor,
the tunnel support grew to 44 percent, while a new elevated structure option
received only 19 percent.
• Tunnel: 44%
• Repair the current Viaduct: 25%
• Replace the current Viaduct with a new one: 19%
• Tear down the Viaduct and don’t replace it: 7%
• Don't Know: 5%
Get the mayor’s inside view on initiatives to promote transportation,
public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for
The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm.
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Office of the Mayor
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