Today's Seattle Times: "30 Dems to Gregoire: New viaduct is better than costly tunnel"
Thirty members of the House Democratic caucus have sent a letter to [Mrs.] Gregoire arguing the state should replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with an elevated highway rather than a tunnel.Only nine legislators signed an earlier letter supporting the tunnel. It will be refreshing to finally move on past this unrealistic tunnel fantasy and actually get something done.
UPDATE: I think my good friend Josh Feit at The Stranger deserves credit for reporting this story 12 days before the Times did.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at November 29, 2006 10:49 AM | Email ThisPosted by: mimi on November 29, 2006 10:56 AM
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/november-hope.html
Posted by: Libertarian on November 29, 2006 11:04 AMLike the Monorail, the debate will drag out for years and cost millions before anything is ever done.
This is the Seattle way. Talk it to death over coffee.
Posted by: Jeff B. on November 29, 2006 11:47 AMWilly Penn once said... dat if we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by Tyrants.
Forgetaboutit
Agree Jeff B. The Viaduct is Falling! emergency tax will be collected for years before anything is done. I wonder if we get a refund if surface streets are used (yeah right). Maybe if they do go with the surface street option then the dozens of other highway projects which were eliminated already because of cost underestimates can move forward. I won't be holding my breath on that either.
Posted by: Palouse on November 29, 2006 12:51 PMSo a Tunnel it will be, and we will pay for it to our graves.
So says the Queen.
Watch this decision and weep!
Posted by: GS on November 29, 2006 02:53 PMThe cost eventually soured me to it. You can double whatever the existing estimates are and use that as a base starting point, so it's easily going to be at least $8 billion.
Posted by: Frank Black on November 29, 2006 03:35 PMBesides, it's a done-deal. Queenie and Nickel$ are laughing their a$$es off with so much of the public believeing those two pliticos are having a spat over what to do. They've cut a deal.
Posted by: Tyler Durden on November 29, 2006 03:38 PMPork Chopp D-Seattle and Queen Taxusallic will lead their herd of dimocraps down the vally of massive tax hikes and defeat.
Stray cat tax
Hamburger on Tuesday tax
Failed 2 pane window tax
Rocks in your driveway Tax
What more Gregoire?
Where are the engineers? They need to get busy engineering a solution that costs far less than alternatives on the table now. One clear and obvious cost saver would be to contruct a shallow 6 lane trench and put lids on top of it in key places like the ferry terminal and the aquarium.
This tunnel versus rebuild debate is stupid and so is Frank Chopp for framing it that way. Under any alternative you gotta get over railroad track in the south and climb up to Aurora in the north. That means that what we're talking about is a few miles through downtown.
The most earthquake prone part of the Viaduct's territory in the south end. It would be stupid to build a larger elevated structure there. And way too costly given the obvious risks.
The best way to cut costs - which ought to be a priority - is to make a decision that will stick so that construc tion can be underway in 2009. Chopp's more blight plan won't fly, ever. So he'd be far more constructive if he'd back an alternative that can solve the problem.
Posted by: thor on November 30, 2006 06:26 AMOne other thought. Even with all of the cost overruns, shoddy construction and corruption at all levels associated with "The Big Dig" in Boston, No one has said it was a bad idea to do the project. Boston is a much better city for having done it. 25 years from now, the people of Boston will still be marveling at the vision and good sense of the planners at about the same time all of the crooks get out of jail.
Posted by: Old Soldier on November 30, 2006 07:00 AMOne other thought. Even with all of the cost overruns, shoddy construction and corruption at all levels associated with "The Big Dig" in Boston, No one has said it was a bad idea to do the project. Boston is a much better city for having done it. 25 years from now, the people of Boston will still be marveling at the vision and good sense of the planners at about the same time all of the crooks get out of jail.
Posted by: Old Soldier on November 30, 2006 07:01 AMBut Ron Sims has to do 35 years, too. Or no deal.
Posted by: Rey Smith on November 30, 2006 11:13 AMSix lanes on the ground is plenty to steal from the taxpayers!
Posted by: JB on November 30, 2006 01:50 PM