A truly bi-partisan coalition is forming to stop the Mayor's plans for a Boston-like Big Dig to put SR 99 in a tunnel through downtown. People on both sides of the aisle understand how distructive building a tunnel will be: to traffic, to businesses, and to other our wallets. We are coming together on July 27, 7:00 pm at the University Baptist Church (12th Ave NE and NE 47th Street) to put a stop to it. Please join us. The full announcement, including a list of sponsors, is after the jump.
You are invited to join citizens and activists at an important meeting to stop the Mayor's "big dig" viaduct tunnel plan - Thurs, July 27th, 7pm at University Baptist Church corner of NE 47th and 12th NE (see below for directions)
All who oppose the tunnel are invited! Join us in an effort to develop a common strategy regardless of what other viaduct solutions/alternatives you may prefer or not prefer.
- unless we put aside our differences and work together, it is now likely that the City Council majority will favor the $5 billion tunnel boondoggle and deny us even the right to vote on this critical matter
Sponsors for the meeting include your friends and fellow activists from across the spectrum but opposed to the tunnel:
John V. Fox * Kevin Fullerton * Alice Woldt * Chip Marshall * Art Skolnik * Gene Hoglund * Eugene Wasserman * Emory Bundy * Matt Fox * Joe Martin * Andrew MacDonald * Carolee Colter * Suzie Burke * Tim Harris * David Sucher * Tom O'Brien * Allan Panitch * Warren Aakervik Jr * Ivan Weiss * Curt Firestone * Jim Nobles * Charlie Chong * David Della * Kent Kammerer * Peter Phillips
More information on why we hope you'll attend this important meeting:
Please note too that this meeting is not going to be a forum to debate the various viaduct alternatives. Quite the contrary it's an attempt to bring all the other positions together to join forces in a common strategy to defeat the tunnel. Without such joint action, it's quite likely - indeed a virtual certainty - that our City Council will not give us even the right to vote on this matter in the fall with a majority now leaning toward unilateral action in support for the Mayor's tunnel plan. (The state legislature last spring gave the City Council the right to either bring the matter to the voters or act themselves without a vote. Initially it looked like the Mayor and most councilmembers supported a vote. However, recent polling has shown overwhelming opposition to the tunnel so, low and behold, it's looking more like they may try an end run and give their support to the tunnel without giving us that chance to vote.) We must put aside any of our differences vis a vis the other alternatives/solutions and develop a common strategy or the tunnel option will continue to take precedence and move inexorably forward. No other options will be heard! Billions will be needlessly tapped for this ego-driven non solution at the expense of transportation resources we desperately need for the region and our neighborhoods - unless we can figure out a way to work together.
What we all need to do to stop the tunnel option from moving forward. Also, several area legislators have been invited and may attend or send staff (including at least one councilmember) so it's important in that regard to have a good turnout and show 'em we're unified. The Final Supplementary EIS is due out soon with comments by the end of September which coincides with the Councils deadline for action on a vote/ballot and the recommendations of the Governor's Expert review Panel. It means we've got until about the first part of September before the Council will come to some final decision on this so we need to be organized now.
If you oppose the Mayor's viaduct tunnel plan, regardless of where you stand on the other alternatives/solutions, please join us July 27th in an attempt to come together around a common strategy to stop the tunnel. Also, if you cannot make the meeting get in touch with us and make your feelings know loudly and forcefully to all members of the City Council, your legislators, and the Governor. For more information contact 378-0722, 632-0668, or 683-0237 about this meeting and for updates.
Where: July 27th, 7pm, University Baptist Church 4554 12th NE (corner of 12th NE and NE 47th 2 blocks W. of the "Ave" on 47th), follow signs on building to entrance and room number
Does common sense exist anywhere with the possible exception of Liberman in that loony bin anymore?
/sigh.
Posted by: Fox3 on July 14, 2006 04:26 PMJoin together now:
All we are saying is give the "seattle way" a chance...
Posted by: Jimmy Blue on July 14, 2006 05:08 PMIn order to make that tunnel work and have a somewhat decently angled north-end entry, the approach to the tunnel entrance is going to have to start about a mile north of the battery street tunnel to get low enough to pass under the train tracks going into the train tunnel. To do that, the approach will also have to go under the Broad Street/highway 99 underpass complex.
This tunnel won't just impact businesses along the waterfront, this will impact businesses all along highway 99 and for blocks on either side at least. This monstrosity will make the Big Dig look like a curb job in residential Kirkland.
Posted by: G Jiggy on July 14, 2006 05:18 PMAs for calling it the big dig. Even Andy, can't be so dumb as to think a covered ditch is the same as a really long tunnel under water. It is not hard at all to dig a ditch in known soil conditions then put a lid over it.
Man! I'm glad you brought that up giffy!
(Personally, I'm for elevated tunnels - think hamster-trails. When the big one happens, we'll still all die, but we'll have a better view! ;'}
Posted by: alphabet soup on July 14, 2006 07:58 PMThis can hardly be called a "Big Dig" project.
Firstly it hardly compares in size and scope to Boston's tunnel under the city.
Secondly it will be a cut and cover project: dig a hole and put a lid on it.
Hardly anything Boston-like Big Dig about it.
Posted by: Daniel K on July 14, 2006 10:33 PMSomething I can agree with y'all about.
As a progressive I am interested in seeing SMART government programs, and the tunnel clearly is not one of them.
Conservatives are likewise interested in government efficiency, but our policy analyses and solutions differ at many points.
It is refreshing, however, to every so often make common cause with the folks who are usually snarling across the partisan divide.
There are elements of good, efficient government which utterly transcend ideological borders. And I think we should expand that territory as much as possible.
The tunnel is an atrocious, horrendously expensive idea.
Pass this on to as many relevant elected officials as possible. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Why can't we get Bin Laden into a car driven by Ted or Patrick Kennedy in the Big Dig?
It always happens that some nice new couple that large concrete supports fall on their head.
(look out seattlites)
Tunnel safety in earthquakes
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/Alternatives/Tunnel_BG.htm
Posted by: Giffy on July 15, 2006 05:22 AMThere isn't the money for a tunnel, and wishing won't make it so. End of discussion.
Posted by: ivan on July 15, 2006 05:27 AMWill I'll be. We finally agree on something.
You hit it right on the head. The COST of this thing would be insane. We just got finished with the last money run away boon-doggle, we sure don't need another.
This is all about giving "some" people a view of the water and that's it!
Posted by: Army Medic/Vet on July 15, 2006 07:02 AMNow thats a useful discussion as opposed to false analogies or wronghead science. Currently the finances for a tunnel are unclear, but not impossible. The Mayor has some good possibilities that may materialize.
http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2006/06/19/daily35.html?surround=lfn
Posted by: Giffy on July 15, 2006 10:33 AMUmmmm... I think you have confused the city with the county and the mayor with the exuctive.
Posted by: Giffy on July 15, 2006 01:30 PMAlaskan Way Viaduct/Seawall ProjectPosted by: Lynne on July 15, 2006 01:32 PM
The Viaduct Project Team is continuing planning, design and engineering work for the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, moving forward on both the preferred tunnel alternative and an elevated structure alternative. A Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement analyzing various new features of the plan will be released for public comment in the summer of 2006. The Draft Construction Transportation Mitigation Plan will also be available at that time. The State Legislature set aside funding for an Expert Review Panel to report by September if the Alaskan Way Viaduct and SR-520 projects have sufficient funding and can be built.
As of 3/31/06, more than 12 million dollars has already been spent on Tunnel/Viaduct planning and design.
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/SDOT1stQuarterlyReport2006.pdf
Posted by: Lynne on July 15, 2006 01:38 PMI get it! Don Ward for Mayor!
Big step up in remuneration!
Posted by: Jimmy Blue on July 15, 2006 04:08 PM"Currently the finances for a tunnel are unclear, but not impossible. The Mayor has some good possibilities that may materialize."
I say:
Yeah, and we'll have pie in the sky when we die. Nickels has till the end of the year to fish or cut bait. The vote in November is advisory only. Even some Seattle City Council members who favor the tunnel are coming to realize that the money isn't there and isn;t likely to be there.
By year end it will be time to fish or cut bait. If there is no money, work will commence on the Viaduct replacement, for which there *is* money.
The tunnel is fiscally irresponsible and robs the rest of the state of money for highway projects. Only a damn fool thinks that's acceptable.
The best news of all is that Democrats will kill the tunnel. That might make Sharkansky's head explode, but that is what will happen.
Posted by: ivan on July 15, 2006 05:12 PMNickels and Sims are out to throw as much money at transportation boondogles as possible to say they got it done as their epitaph on their tombstones. Irresponsible ? Yes, self-serving ? you betcha.
Posted by: KS on July 15, 2006 05:50 PMNot that this should matter, Seattle is one of the least earthquake-safe places on the planet in any case, tunnel or no. I just wanted to correct Giffy's point.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor on July 18, 2006 09:53 AMThere was no earthquake, flood or other natural disaster. The tile and part of the overhead structure just fell.
In Wednesday's report, "There was a 20 percent decrease in traffic in the tunnel as people started avoiding the "Big Dig"".
Posted by: Mike P on July 20, 2006 05:34 PM