On Up Front with Robert Mak, Governor Gregoire was asked if the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct is the biggest public safety threat in Seattle, why has nothing been done for the last seven years, including three years with her as governor?
Gregoire said, yes, it is the most threat, and that there were two reasons why it's not been fixed yet: first, because Transportation was not reporting directly to her until 2005, and second, because if they didn't do environmental impact studies, they'd get sued.
Unfortunately, she does not take the next logical step and say that our current environmental impact study process is clearly doing more potential harm than good. So we'll continue to waste time and money and, potentially, lives, by bowing to the altar of Gaia. Of course, that's not to say that we should completely ignore the environment. But we clearly take it way too far, often doubling the time and cost of projects, for no clear benefit whatsoever.
Cross-posted on <pudge/*>.
Posted by pudge at January 19, 2008 05:38 PM | Email This
As we saw in 2004, she can lose most of state on a geographic basis and still win in King County - so long as she has friends in Seattle. And that means greenies.
Posted by: deadwood on January 19, 2008 06:53 PMAs to the overall idea that the delay in doing "something" about the Viaduct hs been because we have been "bowing to the altar of Gaia," that's doesn't comport with reality. We didn't build the tunnel simply because it cost too much — so we were if anything bowing to the altar of Mammon.
Posted by: David Sucher on January 19, 2008 06:55 PMAlas, they're probably too busy out getting boozed up w/ the likes of Rich McIver and Bobbe Bridge.
Posted by: russell garrard on January 19, 2008 07:32 PMIf she wants to show she is for the people instead of the special interest groups she would declare an emergency, wave the EIS and SEPA (Saving 1% a month in total project costs over a three year study period) and go straight to design and build. She will not take this bold course of actions because she is bought and paid for by the environmental groups who are determined to under build and overcharge for the 520 corridor.
Posted by: Huh? on January 19, 2008 07:47 PMSorry, but that is not possible for her to accomplish, since "logic" and Chrissy are never seen in the same room simultaneously.
You will be accessed a 15 paragraph penalty on the campaign kick off.
Posted by: hinton on January 19, 2008 07:52 PMThanks.
Posted by: C;eve on January 19, 2008 08:09 PMhttp://www.amazon.com/City-Comforts-Build-Urban-Village/dp/0964268000
Here are some hints for you.
Step One: Elect Ron Sims.
Step Two: Elect Greg Nickels.
Step Three: have the downtown developers pay the bills for the greenie groups to whoop whoop whoop and shout we cant just pour more concrete.
Step Four: use ramp metering to skirt two thirds of the traffic from the freeways.
Step Five:Reduce interchanges to one lane,turn the other into an HOV lane,use ramp meters to stop 95 percent of the traffic so 5 percent can get by and call it an HOV supoort system.
Step six:Have the UW invent something called fuzzy logic that baffles the public with BS, by convincing them that stopping already moving traffic will allow them space to get up to speed,while HOV traffic doesn't have to.then throw in a few more lies like it saves gas reduces pollution saves a frog in Colorado all that good greenie stuff.
Step Seven:have congress pass a bill called TEA 21 to mandate transit projects and retrofitting because it creates more jobs.That will put traffic congestion so far behind they will have no choice but to fill in the inner city or take a bus.
Step Eight :Spend all of the transportation dollars on boondoggles as outlined by TEA 21 to gentrify the inner city so we can coerce the people into it with a carrot and stick.
Step Nine:Kick Rob McKenna off the Sound Transit board so hard he needs to buy two new suits.
Step 10.Let the ferries fall apart force Joell Conely to move to the Rainer Valley.
Are you ready for a truck payment Dave?
The hamster wheel awaits.
I never understand the "we might get sued" justification for stupid actions.
Posted by: Cicero on January 19, 2008 09:23 PMNOTHING EVER GETS BUILT!
Posted by: GS on January 19, 2008 09:46 PMWhat is it w/ Democrats that just can't get their little minds around cost, schedule, ease-of-use, minimalization of impact, etc? Every project has to be "THE BIGGEST PROJECT EVER!!!!"
1) There should be a Viaduct replacement.
2) It should look really similar to what's there now.
3) It should move MORE goods and MORE commuters than the current Viaduct (which ain't half bad).
That would certainly have created more opportunities for lawsuits. Enviro-wackos wouldn't have had to look for puddles of water near a proposed project for an excuse to file a lawsuit. Air is everywhere and where there are roads there is carbon. Voila... instant lawsuit.
Posted by: Republican (by default) on January 19, 2008 10:51 PMIf you have watched any project dealing with transportation and specifically roads you will realize that "the greenis" are against anything that will allow the same amount, or more, of automobiles on the road.
They litigate the bejeebus out of everything because they want cars off the roads period.
Pay Attention.
Posted by: Mr. RcGuy on January 20, 2008 11:02 AMNY, WA DC, Italy, Spain, Europe as a whole. Mass transit is a total commitment to provide it REGARDLESS of the cars and of the expense.
To do Mass Transit in Western WA you have to run at least two North South lines, but probably three with one on the corridor on the Kitsap Peninsula. Multiple East West lines. And you have to do it from Olympia to Mt. Vernon. You have to invest in massive parking structures, security, and additional bus transportation to make it a no brainer for people to hop a bus to get to a hub.
You will never ever get greenies to cop to all of the vegetation that will have to be destroyed or all of the cement put in its place for parking lots.
You will never EVER get the freaking residents of Western WA to realize that this takes money and they will have to pay for it for generations. The residents feelings though are justified when we look back at the shitty way transportation has been handled in the past. But the biggest thing is we all look at Sound Transit and the bullshit light rail system/route that is going in now and what it costs vs. what we were told, the fact that it will do 0 to alleviate traffic congestion, and that it doesn't provide a meaningful route for anybody, to realize why we Washintonians blow off just about any suggestion that originates with our govt.
Posted by: Mr. RcGuy on January 20, 2008 11:26 AMNow as to why this is not likely to happen. It doesn't allow the City of Seattle to get its seawall replaced with federal or state money as a hidden cost of a viaduct replacement project. It also doesn't create a double "urban renewal" project in Seattle that benefits those that want to remove the viaduct and place condo's and office building in its place and the other group of money'ed folks who want small business in the area to throw up their hands over years of construtcion congestion so they can buy properties in the general waterfront area of a fraction of its true worth.
That means that lots of folks with political power don't want a solution that works, is less expensive or good for the State, they want something that is good for the Seattle power-elite.
Posted by: robert32asp on January 20, 2008 12:13 PMAre you implying she hasn't lived up to her campaign promises?
Posted by: Andy on January 20, 2008 02:51 PMIt was stupid from the start.
Posted by: redflag on January 20, 2008 03:56 PMLet's all sit back and drink in the art. Moving vehicles North and South is a crass diversion in the face of such inspiration.
Posted by: Bart Cannon on January 20, 2008 04:35 PMUntil she has been retired from this office, I will vote no on any transportation issue.
Why?
Because although declared an emergency, the recent 15 odd cent gas tax was suppose to begin to take care of these emergencies.
Not a single one has had one shovel of work done on them, but the dollars have been shoveled into the rapidly expanding Gregoire government for years now.
We get nothing but higher pay for the government trough, and more expansion and intrusion in our daily lives by a never money hungry state government.
We need new leadership in this state.
Posted by: GS on January 20, 2008 05:27 PMIt is going to be an entertaining year and an even more entertaining legislative session.
On the downside- with the inability raise taxes or otherwise take any more of our money- the chimps down at the legislature seem to be taking aim at our rights...
let them eat cake instead.
Posted by: Andy on January 20, 2008 06:22 PMLess transportation, less population. Pugetopolis is killing itself now.
Posted by: JB on January 21, 2008 01:31 AMI believe that the discovery of an indian burial ground would stop the project faster than a nesting spotted owl.
Posted by: Bart Cannon on January 21, 2008 04:24 AM
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080120/NEWS/801200305
We have to save the Economy/environment.
It is corruption..Greenies have been corrupted by retail sales and sales taxes.
It is happening all over ...
Cary Moon does wear some far out clothes though.
I wouldn't kick her out of bed for using a plastic grocery bag.
LOL
But this is a temporary political diversion so that Gregoire can "talk tough" and appeal to conservatives and independents who don't like environmentalists and the billions we waste making roads safer for frogs and not people.
But Gregoire can then be found talking carbon footprints and Global Warming. She is an environmentalist. It's all part of the plan to retain total Democrat control of Olympia so that next year will be a Progressive Orgy of Legislation that would make even Marlyn Chase blush.
Posted by: Jeff B. on January 21, 2008 08:46 AMWhy not do that and devote the remainder to building a "full-size" 520 bridge capable of carrying light rail (or dedicated bus lanes now).
Posted by: BA on January 21, 2008 08:50 AMSo, rather than build a new above ground solution that we're then stuck with for another 50 years or so, fix what we have to last another generation, then look to replace it in the future.
Alternatively,
How about one tunnel bore for now (three lanes one way), and knock off the upper level of the viaduct? A single level viaduct is quieter, blocks fewer views, and easier to make earthquake resistant being a lower structure.
The idea is to protect a new structure at least 100 times better than most of the buildings in Seattle.
Posted by: swatter on January 21, 2008 12:37 PMYes that fourth lane isn't a through lane...yet, but now the additional capacity for growth is in place. Similar to I-90 over Lake Washington, lanes are being added there too.
Increasing the viaduct from 3 to 5 lanes might make some sense - though the Battery Street Tunnel is 2 lanes each way so that capacity will not be usable until that tunnel is also expanded.
Posted by: BA on January 21, 2008 09:57 PM