Let's repair the viaduct and prepare for its removal

Thankfully, the viaduct situation is gaining clarity with each passing day. The politicians and bureaucrats are working out solutions at this very moment. Right, maybe in a parallel universe. What a mess, what can one do?

Hoping to make the March 13 advisory votes have some significant meaning, I challenged the ballot titles on the proposed viaduct replacements. The proposed changes included making it clear to the Seattle taxpayers and voters that:

• Funding is unsecured for the tunnel replacement option;

• We, as the taxpayers of Seattle, are responsible for all costs not covered by state and federal funding;

• In order to provide state-mandated capacity, the tunnel needed to use shoulders for peak-hour traffic. This eliminates the safety shoulders.

The city fought these changes, and it prevailed.

Ironically, had the city supported the changes, the state might have paid some attention to the results instead of seeing the vote as irrelevant.

Advisory Ballot Measures 1 and 2 are only that, advisory, nonbinding and nonconclusive. We could end up with two yes votes or two no votes, with both the rebuild and the tunnel option winning or losing. A poll would be less expensive and provide more nuanced information.

These voters never seem to end up with the result they approve. In 1974, the voters approved keeping Sand Point as an airport; in 1988, by a 2-to-1 margin, voters approved a countywide rail system to be built by the year 2000; and, in 1997, Seattle voters approved a citywide monorail system. Hey, those worked out pretty well.

What to do now as a voter? We could boycott the balloting, but that leaves the results to those who have strong preferences or vested interests. We could hope that some of our leaders somehow will bring the process back from the twilight zone. But, hope is not a plan.

Let's review. There is no consensus on what to do. The one area of agreement is that another big earthquake could easily make the current viaduct unusable or cause it to collapse. Non-action is not an option. The state has a responsibility to the entire state, not just Ballard, Belltown and West Seattle. The vast majority of state residents don't want to lose mobility and have little interest in beautifying 13 blocks in Seattle.

To get out of this conundrum, we should repair the viaduct and prepare surface and transit alternatives for a future without that waterfront highway. The Washington state Department of Transportation's consultants have agreed it can be done; the debate is over how much it will save. The advantages of this approach should be understandable to everyone, even savvy politicians.

We would rebuild the seawall, build the surface improvements that appear in every plan, and provide new tracks for the waterfront trolley and save at least $500 million. Retired structural engineer Victor Gray's Viaduct Preservation Group believes that the savings will be even greater. One thing we have learned from national politics is that retired professionals give better counsel than the active ones.

In addition, it is important to consider that the waterfront shutdown caused by either new construction option will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to the private sector and in public tax revenues that a repair will avoid.

Both the tunnel and rebuild options are not in keeping with the mayor's valid, anti-global-warming stance. The repair option produces the least amount of greenhouse gases during and after construction.

Let's help the politicians end their food fight and wipe the egg from their faces.

Write them, call them and tell them to end this waste of time — and fix the viaduct. Make it safer sooner. Tell them to do the surface and transit work needed for the eventual removal of the viaduct. Tell them to stop wasting our time with useless and pointless votes.

Let them know by voting "no" and "no" on March 13.

Peter Sherwin, long active in Seattle transit issues, represents the A Repair and Prepare for a Viaductless Waterfront group. E-mail him at repair.prepare@gmail.com