Council OKs Mercer Street rebuild

The Seattle City Council voted Monday to spend $14 million toward a rebuild of Mercer Street but would not release a report on the likely traffic effects.

Council members and staffers said they need to seek permission from the city attorney's office, for fear of violating a federal rule if they made the 200-page analysis public.

That problem didn't deter members from voting 8-1 to spend the money, rather than postpone the issue four weeks as urged by Councilmember Nick Licata, who voted no.

Licata said the city shouldn't have taken a major step toward the $200 million project without releasing and debating the traffic findings. "This is a decision that undermines my — and I think, citizens' — faith in how the process is operating," he said.

Afterward, Council President Richard Conlin called the situation "an embarrassment" that he'll try to prevent in the future.

"As far as I'm concerned, it should have been released a long time ago," he said.

A Seattle Department of Transportation spokesman, Rick Sheridan, said the agency won't release the report for a few days, until checking with state and federal transportation officials.

"We need to make sure our partners are comfortable with us doing so," he said.

Late last week, Licata publicly criticized the city Transportation Department for not earlier releasing the draft traffic report, written by a consultant for the state Department of Transportation (DOT) in 2006. He since has received a copy. A cover page reads "Not for public distribution" in handwriting, but no legal basis is given for withholding it.

According to Licata, the report predicts an overall 2 percent traffic improvement, in his view not worth the $200 million cost. Councilmember Bruce Harrell said he'd seen the report and that it didn't change his mind that planning should proceed.

Licata said Monday he wouldn't hand over a copy because of "internal politics" and fear of a backlash from fellow council members. Harrell said he considered the report public but awaited word from Conlin or council staffers.

City Attorney Tom Carr could not be reached late Monday afternoon. Ron Paananen, a senior state DOT project manager, didn't have a copy on hand late Monday, a spokeswoman said.

An earlier study for the city showed the project would have minimal effect on travel time for drivers. Seattle Transportation Department Director Grace Crunican said last week the rebuild would ease westbound traffic that sometimes backs up onto Interstate 5.

The $14 million pays for engineering, environmental review and some real-estate purchases. Mercer Street, which now runs only east, would be widened for two-way travel, with sidewalks and bike lanes added. Valley Street, along Lake Union Park, would shrink from five lanes to two.

Monday's vote also released money to begin reconstruction this year at the Spokane Street Viaduct, between the West Seattle Bridge and Interstate 5.

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com