Results tagged “viaduct”

The folks at Sound Transit must be in good spirits this week--the lowest construction bid for the University Link tunnel was $20 million lower than Sound Transit's original estimate.

Damn you, Mercer Island! You did this to us. Here's Judy Clibborn on democracy:

All this talk is just so much noise to Rep. Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, who chairs the state House Transportation committee. "The state is building that tunnel," she said in an interview. "It's a done deal."

• So excited to hear about Cap. Hill's quest to get hipsters fat opening of Captain Black's. We've always wanted to know what came first, the chicken or the waffle?
• Nick Montana -- Joe Montana's son, rated one of the top high school quarterbacks in the nation --says he'll attend college at UW.
• Scoot, scoot! All you scooters get your little 50cc engines running for the second annual All City Scooter Day, coming up this Saturday.

We know. It does sound like a painful, invasive operation. Would it be too much to ask our government to use English when asking for our input on the details of things they're forcing down our throats? Coming up, the Federal Highway Administration, WSDOT, and the City of Seattle are holding three local meetings on the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program (which will also include info on the new waterfront surface street). "You will be able to ask questions and share your thoughts on what environmental elements and mitigation measures should be studied in the supplemental draft environmental impact statement on the proposed bored tunnel alternative." Meeting details after the jump!

Mayor Nickels, speaking of the tunnel for which no cost overruns can be foreseen, noted that, "The design work and engineering on the 'mile in the middle,' which has been the controversial part, will go forward in about two years." Does that mean what it sounds like? Is the most controversial part really undesigned? (The Weekly's Damon Agnos has some terrific quotes from someone who looked like the Mayor speaking out strongly against a tunnel a little while ago.)

A friend of ours was at the Washington Conservation Voters auction fundraiser last night, where Mayor Greg Nickels was being applauded for his greenery. But when Nickels got to the part about the deep-bore tunnel, the response was noticeably tepid. Perhaps thinking people needed a little push, Nickels mentioned his excitement about the tunnel again, only to hear some back-of-the-hall derision. Did his staff not tell Hizzoner that real greens don't buy into tunnel-vision?

• Seattle, do you realize what you are finally witnessing? The first baby demolition steps that will (fingers crossed) lead to the demise of the Viaduct.
• It took not even six months for Capitol Hill's defunct organic pizza joint Pizza Fusion to go out of business. Now as they auction off all their equipment and furnishings this Thursday, you'll have one last chance to snag some of the coveted Sunset Bowl memorabilia.
• Ferries are all the rage--Budget Travel Magazine names the Seattle-Bainbridge commute as one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the U.S. They forget to mention the ferry system will be jacking up their summer prices 25 percent this Friday.

It's heartening to discover we weren't the only ones who found it possible to envision cost overruns in building Seattle's deep-bore tunnel. Sightline's Clark Williams-Derry: "It's a potentially enormous financial burden, since even the best planning process can't anticipate things that can go wrong with such a massive undertaking." The Seattle Times' Danny Westneat: "I do think it's suspicious that this same tunnel was rejected in December by a stakeholder advisory committee on account of it being way too expensive. Only to have the costs then shrink (!) by $400 million, arriving at a size that happily fits the state's pre-existing budget." Westneat does everything but call those involved bald-faced liars. Since the alternative is that they're delusional, we're not sure which option is preferable.

Sometimes we fantasize that the Capitol dome is a Reset button that just needs a really big thumb. Here's the exciting part about the viaduct bill that just passed the House: "Any costs in excess of ($2.8 billion) shall be borne by property owners in the Seattle area...." Are you at all reassured by Gov. Gregoire's spokesperson that "we don't envision any cost overruns to occur on this project"?

Some Lynnwood residents may have had a different church-going experience on Easter Sunday, when a 2.5 magnitude "micro" earthquake occurred just before 10 a.m. This was just one of the many "micro" quakes that have been shimmy-shaking throughout Washington this year. Researchers worry that if these "micro" quakes turn into anything bigger, say a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, it would be catastrophic for Seattle and its skyline. If that does happen, we know the Alaskan Way Viaduct is a goner and so would be many of the old high-rise buildings (Hello, Columbia Center), built before new earthquake friendly regulations were enforced in 1994.

• A neighborhood-based local business discount card for Capitol Hill? Um, yes please! CHS tells us the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce is exploring the idea (take a survey about it here), and JSeattle leaks via Twitter, "Think it's definitely happening. Question is how it works." Rad.
• West Seattle Blog posted a surprisingly brief blurb on Mac Clay's $15 million settlement from a lawsuit over his paralyzing injury two years ago at West Seattle High School.
• Have you taken your walking tour of the viaduct yet? Queen Anne View reminds us that we have another chance on March 21. It's free, and only 45 minutes. Do it.

The bored tunnel option just got a big wet kiss from the Senate, though its House reception will not be so warm. Still, the clock's ticking and WSDOT, King County, and the City of Seattle are inviting you on a free short walking tour of the viaduct on Saturday, March 21, while the structure is closed to traffic for an inspection.

Taxpayers may not be the only ones seeing extra digits. King County assessor Scott Noble is being investigated for a possible DUI. The Dawgs are no longer in the doghouse with labor activists, now that UW is canceling its apparel contract with Russell. And January's earthquake shook the viaduct "harder, longer" than anyone knew. Which is whole lot more fun than a boring tunnel, right?

It's lonely at the top of Queen Anne, and, if you're a tunnel, boring. Queen Anne View recaps the bored tunnel meeting WSDOT held last night. While we're on Queen Anne, what's your bid on the Queen Anne High condos that will soon hit the auction block? My Ballard explains the tragic-yet-bizarre reason that flags at state agencies are at half-mast today. And the Daily Weekly pokes fun at native son Po Bronson for his Starbucks quote on the perils of success. Po should know. He's been on Oprah!

Third choice may be the charm for Gary Locke, the latest pick for Commerce Secretary. If Locke leaves, someone will have to pick up the slack on China, energy, and governmental relations. Ponder this as you walk around Greenlake, which is safe after a bomb scare this morning, PhinneyWood reports. Should you decide to be part of the solution, West Seattle blog has info on upcoming Vidaduct meetings, and MyBallard reports on plans for a car camp for homeless folks.

Organizers announced the course for the Seattle Rock and Roll marathon today, which will replace last year's bungled Seafair Marathon. The hilly June 27 race is a for-profit event run by a California company. It starts in Tukwila, near a casino and sexpresso stands, and will show off the industrial area around Boeing, and Rainier Beach, before heading up the Alaskan Way Viaduct and must-see Highway 99. And since there's a rock music theme, expect to hear "Smells Like Teen Spirit" approximately 26.2 times.

John Cook reports on more layoffs at Rhapsody, a RealNetwork unit based here in Seattle. Fortunately, there's good tech news today too: a Brazilian tech company called Spring Networks is setting up shop in the city, and will be hiring some 35 employees. The Southlake is looking at possible upsides to the bored tunnel viaduct replacement option. West Seattle Blog has more updates on the Junction shooting, including photos of the memorial set up at the site. And over at Sound Transit Blog, there's a list of the major Sound Transit Express changes coming up in 2009.

According to this visualization of the tunnel viaduct replacement option, downtown is about to get very, very clean.

That would be Tay Yoshitani, director of the Port of Seattle.

When the inevitable anti-tunnel initiative was filed, Governor Gregoire said she'd be disappointed if there was a delay. (A delay? Dealing with the viaduct? Pshaw.) The governor is in a hurry to disburse that estimated $2.8 billion, conjured up for a design that's said to be one percent complete. (Here we pause to admire the precision of knowing what one percent of a plan looks like.)

We were wondering when we'd hear from the PWC about the extra-extra-final-nope-not-another-word bored tunnel decision. The letter begins equably enough, with them talking about how the state, county, and city have divvied up responsibility, and what Seattle gets out of it:

The City is going ahead with Mercer and Spokane projects, the new waterfront street, other street improvements, the First Ave streetcar line, and investments to increase transit speed and reliability downtown. Funding sources have been identified, and the package looks viable--if Seattle citizens are willing to stomach some new taxes. The County gained the authority to levy a 1% MVET tax for transit, which can be spent to boost transit service countywide. Some of this money will be invested in increased service to West Seattle, Delridge, Ballard, and Aurora north.

And then...they let slip a concern about the safety in keeping the viaduct open until the tunnel is ready. Plus, there's global warming leadership to keep in mind. Which is not to mention the reduced usefulness of a tunnel if people end up driving less. And of course, there are lots of questions about the tunnel's basic feasibility: "If it ends up not looking like the silver bullet people envision today, People's Waterfront Coalition will be happy to help figure out Plan B." Full text after the jump.

For those of you interested in why the hell everyone thinks a tunnel is such a hot idea, Gov. Christine Gregoire will be on on KUOW 94.9 FM this afternoon at 1 p.m. She'll (hopefully) have to explain her controversial decision to spend billions on a tunnel that doesn't increase traffic capacity (and decreases for the entire period it's under construction, between 4 and 10 years) while cutting budgets across the state government even as the public need for government services increases.

Greg Nickels is feeling pretty good this morning. He probably served himself an extra couple of pancakes, and probably broke open that bottle of boysenberry syrup he’s been saving for a special occasion, to reward himself for getting the tunnel he has always wanted.

For a clue as to what a Seattle sans P-I might be like, look no farther than this Seattle Times article on the ragtag group of citzens--gosh, looks like they're the entrenched power elite, actually--that has pluckily banded together to force a tunnel down Seattle's throat, vote or no. Calling the group a collection of "business leaders, neighborhood activists and environmentalists," the story doesn't name any actual activists or environmentalists. There's attorney Tayloe Washburn, from the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce; Rob Sexton, Downtown Seattle Association; and David Freiboth, King Co. Labor Council. The car-friendly folks at the Discovery Institute's Cascadia Center are in on it, too. The group reminds us of the band of merchants in Westerns who are always willing to sell out the rest of the town if it means they won't be personally inconvenienced--or might profit in some way. And of course they always have the mayor's ear. Stakeholders is exactly right. They do think they own the place.

Originally ran on January 3, 2007, January 2, 2008--updated for January 2009.

• Capitol Hill Seattle is asking for your help in making a "Collective Hill Playlist" filled with songs about or mentioning Capitol Hill. Do you have any songs for the list? Sorry, but "Posse on Broadway" has already been mentioned.
• If you're arachnophobic, we'd recommend not reading this little item. A Ballard family that found a Black Widow spider in a bunch of grapes from their neighborhood Fred Meyer, has donated the spider to the Woodland Park Zoo's Bug World.
• Local blogs are still aflutter about an anonymous poem about Snowmageddon 2008, which could be the first local viral email of '09. Both the Big Blog and The Rainier Valley Post talked about the snow poem.

We thought it was a little optimistic of Sims, Gregoire and Nickels to say they would come up with a viaduct replacement recommendation by January 1st. Maybe that was just Seattlest projecting our own annual holiday brain-death, but it also had to do with the refusal of tunnel proponents to back down even though the bored-tunnel option was ostensibly removed from the negotiation table. At any rate, the trifecta of leaders issued a joint statement last night announcing that they aren't ready to recommend an option by their deadline:

As a result of the continued overwhelming response and input on replacement options from stakeholders, we have asked our respective transportation teams to continue their review. Once this information is in hand, and working closely together, a final recommendation will be made to the state Legislature in January. [...] We only have one chance to do this right.

One chance, stakeholders. The unsettling part of the statement isn't the delay, which was expected; it's the "stakeholder" terminology. Seattle became one giant corporation while we were sleeping, apparently. Guess the signs were there all along.

• CHS datamined the scoop on the newest new restaurant to hit Odd Fellows Hall, Tin Table: "We believe that food and wine should be an experience for the senses and a festival to spirit."
• Seattle Metblogs realized the hard, concrete fact that we all probably have been trying to avoid stubbing our emotional toe on: a decision on what to do about the Viaduct will never arrive. (In the meantime, Ballard is still holding out for a tunnel.)
• TechFlash reported on Amazon's economy-defying holiday traffic surge--their traffic was up 7 percent compared to December 2007. Though we wonder how much of that was Seattleites checking to see where their snowbound packages were.

BAD FILM: This week, David Schmader's crash-course in the history of awful cinema continues with the legendarily bad Bill Cosby flick, writers for years, Schmader's shtick is probably a bit old by now. But by and large he's good at it, ensuring some added hilarity to an already comically bad film, all while gorging yourself on beer and pizza from the good people at Central Cinema.

• Did somebody say bacon? Yes, someone--Beacon Hill Blog, to be exact--actually said the magic words: half a ton of bacon-y goodness.
• Capitol Hill Seattle has a handy list of tips and facts called "everything you need to know about snow on the Hill."
• While CHS gave us a thoughtful list, Hillku gives us a panicked haiku entitled "Cap Hill Snow Death Watch 2008!!!"