a way forward on the Viaduct
Friends of Seattle supports the City Council's Urban Mobility Plan for replacing the Viaduct.
Since the March 2007 election, Friends of Seattle has been working with an expanded coalition of citizens groups, business organizations, and civic leaders to ensure that citizens and stakeholders retain a voice in the decisionmaking process. The election fiasco and the terrible options developed by the state were direct results of a faulty process. We have co-signed a letter (PDF) sent to the City Council calling for a more open and inclusive process, which is reflected in the ordinance.
FoS will continue this fight. We are concerned, as we've mentioned before, that the state still plans to develop a new elevated roadway. No elevated structure in any form would be acceptable. A retrofit, which would be costly and last for only 25 years, would be an unnecessary delay of the hard decision that Seattle has to make and would leave the blighting old Viaduct on our shoreline.
Any proposal must allow for people and freight to stay mobile with a combined strategy of expanding bus and water taxi services, improving the street grid, and managing demand, instead of relying on an expensive freeway.
We view this moment in Seattle's history as a unique opportunity to set a new, more progressive course for our city's development. Let's develop great parks and civic spaces on the waterfront, work to renew Elliott Bay, invest in transit, reduce emissions that cause global warming, and make our existing streets handle more cars more efficiently, all while enabling our region's commuters and freight trucks to still get to where they need to go.
News and info links:
Proposed Council Bill 115888
Seattle P-I: Steinbrueck offers new Viaduct surface option
The Stranger: Is the state setting the surface/transit option up for failure?
WSDOT Pamphlet on First Phases of Viaduct Replacement (PDF)
