After a lot of political wrangling and a few delays and controversies, the plan is finally here. The plan, of course, is for the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. The plan calls for a deep-bore tunnel with a combination of surface street replacement for Alaskan Way. The price tag for the plan is going to be a little over twice the price that JPMorgan Chase paid for the WaMu firesale. Is the plan worth it?
Personally, I think the tunnel is a great idea. On one hand, it maintains the right of way for the viaduct that it is replacing; at the same time, it improves the aesthetics of the Seattle waterfront and opens the surface for an open air park and a streetcar that people actually might use. However, the price tag for aesthetic and convenience is costly; and I’ve been hearing everywhere that there’s this recession thing going on. With a large budget shortfall and no end to the recession in sight, splurging on the tunnel when other options can be had for 1/8th the price seems a bit frivolous.
Being an adopted native Seattlite, I believe the viaduct is as much a part of Seattle as Starbucks Coffee, the Space Needle, and rain. But replacing the viaduct with another viaduct does not make sense to me. Visual aesthetics aside, the viaduct separated downtown from the waterfront, effectively segregating the natives from the tourists. Tearing down the viaduct will finally bring the two parts back together and (hopefully) provide link the various parts of Seattle with shiny new streetcars – public transportations that Seattle needs to up its green credentials and brings it closer to a true “international city”.
But at $4.2 billion, it defies comprehension. We are at a recession and with state budget deficit. Although the project will surely provide many new jobs, same can be said for the other two. Running between $800M and $2B, the other options are almost a bargain compared to the tunnel plan. With any decisions in Seattle, the plan is going to come under multiple lawsuits and recall initiatives (it’s already starting) that will further inflate the cost. In the end, we might end up with a Big Dig – into a bottomless pit where we toss our money into. Should we be spending so recklessly under the current climate when other solutions would work as well?
The decision is final for now (pending the outcome of the next initiative). Whether you like it or not, we need to get our acts together and get it done. We’ve already missed the monorail and delayed the light rail, we don’t need another vaporware roadway – we need a real viaduct replacement. Inaction and infighting are not going to help us. With every minute delayed, we risk one more minute of a dangerous collapse of the viaduct. Recall initiative proponent say it will not affect the timeline, but any recall is going to bring us back to the planning board, the hearings, and more environmental assessment – that is time that could be put to better use. If it’s still too bitter for you to swallow, think about what would happen if you or someone you know is on the viaduct when the Big One hits. I hope you have good health and life insurance, people of Yes! Viaduct.
P.S. My buddy Ryan is quite the fiscal conservative and for the record, I think the government is wasting our tax money – make the viaduct replacement a toll road and let those who use it pay for it.
P.P.S. Yes, toll roads would mean that people at an economic disadvantage will be excluded from the benefits they previous didn’t have to pay for – the fast, non-I-5 way through downtown Seattle. It’s Jim Crow and the poll tax all over again.
P.P.P.S. In case you didn’t catch my drift, you can’t please everybody. A decision is made, move away (from Seattle) or move on.
