It's hard to find something that Gov. Chris Gregoire, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, three members of the City Council, former Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis, King County Councilmember Jan Drago, and the chairs of transportation committees in the state House and Senate all agree on.

And yet there they all were Thursday afternoon in the sunshine, in a gravel lot at the corner of Westlake Avenue and Mercer Street. They were celebrating a $30 million grant that will start construction on a Mercer rebuild. They held a news conference this afternoon to talk about how the project would create jobs.

"This is about partnership and today... is a great indicator of what we can do if we all come together," Gregoire said in brief remarks.

Everyone was feeling good, and mingled pleasantly with their political adversaries. But the elephant in the room seemed to be another project central to the plans for South Lake Union -- the deep-bore tunnel.

I think McGinn did smirk a little when Lee Newgent, who heads the Seattle/ King County Building and Construction Trades Council, said during his remarks: "When the deep-bore tunnel is completed ..."