Rebuilding Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct—not replacing it with a tunnel—is the only path forward, according to Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D). Although the governor and state lawmakers have decided to follow the state Dept. of Transportation’s advice and go with the rebuild, Seattle city officials seem to have ignored the memo. Next month, voters will weigh in through a non-binding vote on the rebuild vs. tunnel question. City officials are also once again considering the surface model, in which the viaduct would be replaced with a fast-paced boulevard that would carry up to 70,000 vehicles a day.
Since December 2004, Seattle officials have been campaigning to replace the 1953 double-decker freeway with a mile-long tunnel in an effort to open up its waterfront. Their plan was to tear down the viaduct, which was significantly damaged in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake. Then contractors would build a six-lane cut-and-cover tunnel to carry the roughly 110,000 vehicles traveling the freeway daily. In the last two years, the tunnel option ballooned from an estimated $3.1 billion to $4.6 billion. Meanwhile, rebuilding the 2.2-mile freeway would cost $2 billion to $2.4 billion. In 2005, Washington State dedicated $2 billion to the viaduct project from its gas-tax revenues. Still, city officials pushed forward with the tunnel plan.