View from rebuilt viaduct would be a blank wall

Any new structure built to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct would not only be 50 percent wider but would obstruct the panoramic views for many drivers, the Seattle City Council was told Monday.

"Views would be gone for cars," said Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis. "People counting on views would be out of luck."

Many people who support rebuilding the viaduct cite the sweeping views along the waterfront as their main reason for preferring that to a tunnel.

Ceis said drivers of taller vehicles, like SUVs and trucks, probably would still see the waterfront. But the view from most passenger cars would be a blank wall. He said the Federal Highway Administration said lane barriers on a new viaduct would have to be solid, unlike those on the viaduct today.

State engineers think an elevated highway would be half again as wide as the current viaduct, because it will need a shoulder and require thicker support columns for seismic safety. The viaduct is now 51 feet wide and would grow to 75 feet, the council was told by Grace Crunican, head of the city's Department of Transportation.

The council was updated on the viaduct and briefed on new state legislation that asks the City Council to hold an election in November on whether voters want to replace the viaduct with an aerial structure or bury it in a tunnel.

Some council members have said they would like voters to consider a third option: tearing the viaduct down and not replacing it. However, Transportation Department Director Doug MacDonald said that is not possible under the legislation.

The city's legal department likely will determine whether the council has that option.

An election on viaduct options would not be legally binding. But Ceis, who supports a tunnel, said the council would likely follow the voters' lead.

"If we ask the public to take a vote, it's our obligation to abide by the decision of voters," he said.

A tunnel could cost $3 billion to $3.6 billion. Rebuilding the current structure would cost between $2 billion and $2.4 billion.

A separate regional highway package likely would include about $800 million for the viaduct.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com