Seattle proposal to replace dated highway with tunnel raises fears for some
By CURT WOODWARD
19 August 2006
SEATTLE (AP) - The Alaskan Way Viaduct shuttles more than 100,000 automobiles each day on twin concrete decks that soar above the sparkling waterfront. The highway is also drab, rickety and outdated, and Mayor Greg Nickels and his allies want to bury it.
Their proposal to replace the viaduct with a major tunnel has critics pointing to Boston, where another ambitious highway tunnel project -- nicknamed the "Big Dig" -- stampeded past deadlines and cost estimates.
"The Big Dig is the nightmare that we all have here in Seattle," said Nick Licata, the City Council president and a vocal critic of Nickels' plans.
Tunnel supporters dismiss such dire predictions, and believe they could gain a crucial stamp of public approval if the City Council agrees to hold a citywide vote on the tunnel this fall.
"Some cities make the right choice and some make the wrong choice," Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis said. "We made the wrong one in the '50s, and now we've got a chance to fix it."
Seattle and Boston have the same yearning: to reclaim the views and property values scarred by elevated highways. Boston built a series of tunnels at a cost of $14.6 billion (euro11.4 billion), the most expensive highway project in U.S. history.
Though it is considered an engineering marvel, the Big Dig has been plagued by cost overruns, delays and faulty construction that culminated in one motorist's death under a collapsed tunnel ceiling in July.
Nickels' more modest plan in Seattle would consist of a single tunnel topped by an urban park and commercial zone.
While the comparison to the Big Dig is not entirely apt, Boston's troubles are likely to be cited in other public battles over major projects, Washington Transportation Secretary Doug MacDonald said.
"The Big Dig now has become almost a mythical thing in the American public works landscape, for good and for ill," MacDonald said.
The viaduct definitely is a liability. Built in the 1950s, it was damaged in a 6.8-magnitude earthquake in 2001, and engineers warn it could collapse in another temblor.
Two replacement options have emerged as serious contenders: Nickels' tunnel, and a new elevated highway. An elevated highway could cost between $2 billion and $3.1 billion (euro1.6 billion and euro2.42 billion); a tunnel could cost from $3 billion to $4.5 billion (euro2.3 billion and euro3.5 billion), Washington state says.
Two cheaper alternatives have been discussed. One relying on public transit and urban planning changes is discounted as unable to handle the viaduct's current traffic -- up to a quarter of the north-south travel in Seattle.
The second alternative would add beams and other braces to the viaduct, which could stay open during construction. But officials say it still might not withstand a major earthquake.
Some key legislators, who have already committed more than $2 billion (euro1.6 billion) for the viaduct project, warned Nickels that his tunnel plan is a nonstarter.
"The Legislature funded a rebuild, not a tunnel," House Speaker Frank Chopp and two other influential state lawmakers wrote to experts evaluating the plans.
Nickels' administration says it has accounted for inflation and difficulties in attracting enough money from Congress or other sources.
"Yes, it costs more money," said Ceis, the deputy mayor. "But it's worth it."
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On the Net:
State DOT: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct
Nickels' viaduct plans: http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/issues/viaduct/
By CURT WOODWARD
19 August 2006
SEATTLE (AP) - The Alaskan Way Viaduct shuttles more than 100,000 automobiles each day on twin concrete decks that soar above the sparkling waterfront. The highway is also drab, rickety and outdated, and Mayor Greg Nickels and his allies want to bury it.
Their proposal to replace the viaduct with a major tunnel has critics pointing to Boston, where another ambitious highway tunnel project -- nicknamed the "Big Dig" -- stampeded past deadlines and cost estimates.
"The Big Dig is the nightmare that we all have here in Seattle," said Nick Licata, the City Council president and a vocal critic of Nickels' plans.
Tunnel supporters dismiss such dire predictions, and believe they could gain a crucial stamp of public approval if the City Council agrees to hold a citywide vote on the tunnel this fall.
"Some cities make the right choice and some make the wrong choice," Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis said. "We made the wrong one in the '50s, and now we've got a chance to fix it."
Seattle and Boston have the same yearning: to reclaim the views and property values scarred by elevated highways. Boston built a series of tunnels at a cost of $14.6 billion (euro11.4 billion), the most expensive highway project in U.S. history.
Though it is considered an engineering marvel, the Big Dig has been plagued by cost overruns, delays and faulty construction that culminated in one motorist's death under a collapsed tunnel ceiling in July.
Nickels' more modest plan in Seattle would consist of a single tunnel topped by an urban park and commercial zone.
While the comparison to the Big Dig is not entirely apt, Boston's troubles are likely to be cited in other public battles over major projects, Washington Transportation Secretary Doug MacDonald said.
"The Big Dig now has become almost a mythical thing in the American public works landscape, for good and for ill," MacDonald said.
The viaduct definitely is a liability. Built in the 1950s, it was damaged in a 6.8-magnitude earthquake in 2001, and engineers warn it could collapse in another temblor.
Two replacement options have emerged as serious contenders: Nickels' tunnel, and a new elevated highway. An elevated highway could cost between $2 billion and $3.1 billion (euro1.6 billion and euro2.42 billion); a tunnel could cost from $3 billion to $4.5 billion (euro2.3 billion and euro3.5 billion), Washington state says.
Two cheaper alternatives have been discussed. One relying on public transit and urban planning changes is discounted as unable to handle the viaduct's current traffic -- up to a quarter of the north-south travel in Seattle.
The second alternative would add beams and other braces to the viaduct, which could stay open during construction. But officials say it still might not withstand a major earthquake.
Some key legislators, who have already committed more than $2 billion (euro1.6 billion) for the viaduct project, warned Nickels that his tunnel plan is a nonstarter.
"The Legislature funded a rebuild, not a tunnel," House Speaker Frank Chopp and two other influential state lawmakers wrote to experts evaluating the plans.
Nickels' administration says it has accounted for inflation and difficulties in attracting enough money from Congress or other sources.
"Yes, it costs more money," said Ceis, the deputy mayor. "But it's worth it."
------
On the Net:
State DOT: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct
Nickels' viaduct plans: http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/issues/viaduct/