United States
There's a great view here somewherePosted on 02/26/2007 3:53:57 PM PST by Stoat
City planning
Feb 22nd 2007 | SEATTLE
From The Economist print edition
There's a great view here somewhereIT SHOULD be among the most beautiful cityscapes on the west coast: a mural of distant mountains, piers jutting into sun-flecked Elliott Bay and giant orange cranes plucking containers from freighters. Overlooking Seattle's waterfront, however, is a noisy 1950s elevated highway in hideous grey concrete.
The elevated highway—known in Seattle simply as “the viaduct”—is also a hazard. It was damaged by an earthquake in 2001, and engineers believe that another quake would destroy it. It needs to be replaced. But with what, and how?
Seattle's mayor, Greg Nickels, a Democrat, wants to replace the viaduct with a tunnel. He argues that this would make the waterfront more attractive while accommodating the 110,000 vehicles now using the viaduct each day. Business leaders, labour groups and many others agree, but the problem is cost. The first plan carried a luxury tab of $4.6 billion. Then, earlier this year, Mr Nickels came up with a surface/tunnel hybrid, or “tunnel lite”, a narrower, less complex tunnel that would cost $3.4 billion.
On the other side of the debate are members of the state legislature and Washington state's governor, Christine Gregoire, who is also a Democrat. They want to replace the viaduct with a bigger, sturdier elevated highway. They have leverage: state money would provide $2.4 billion towards a tunnel or most of the cost of a replacement viaduct (estimated to be $2.8 billion). Believing that Mr Nickels has ignored the tunnel's high price, Ms Gregoire has threatened to withdraw funding for any waterfront roadway if city leaders do not come to their financial senses.
Mr Nickels, who adamantly opposes a new viaduct, has countered Ms Gregoire with his last-minute suggestion for a downsized tunnel. He has arranged an “advisory” city vote, due on March 13th, in which city residents will say whether they support a tunnel or a new viaduct (or, amazingly, both). And he has all but said that if he doesn't get a tunnel Ms Gregoire and her $2.4 billion can take a hike.
The spectacle of the bulky, dark-haired Mr Nickels mud-wrestling with the diminutive, honey-haired Ms Gregoire has not been edifying. “These people are going to go down as some of the worst urban leaders in America,” comments Bryan Jones, an expert on public policy at the University of Washington. At present Ms Gregoire is coming off worse. Now in her third year in office after an election so tight that it had to be decided in court, she had gained respect as an effective legislative manager. But her ambitious education and health-care plans have disappeared in the viaduct's shadow. And the bitterness of the fight is expected to sour debate over future projects in and around Seattle, including the need to replace a vital floating bridge that carries traffic to the city's eastern suburbs.
A report on February 13th from the state's Department of Transportation stated bluntly that Mr Nickels's slimmed-down tunnel would not work as a safe, effective roadway. A spokesman in the mayor's office promptly dismissed the report as “political” and revealed the mayor as immovable. Seattle's tunnel has become a trip to political hell. All aboard.
I found this article because Orbusmax linked to this article from Sound Politics:
Sound Politics An international laughing-stock
From this week's issue of The Economist of London. "Tunnel vision"
The spectacle of the bulky, dark-haired Mr Nickels mud-wrestling with the diminutive, honey-haired Ms Gregoire has not been edifying. "These people are going to go down as some of the worst urban leaders in America," comments Bryan Jones, an expert on public policy at the University of Washington. At present Ms Gregoire is coming off worse. Now in her third year in office after an election so tight that it had to be decided in court, she had gained respect as an effective legislative manager. But her ambitious education and health-care plans have disappeared in the viaduct's shadow. And the bitterness of the fight is expected to sour debate over future projects in and around Seattle, including the need to replace a vital floating bridge that carries traffic to the city's eastern suburbs.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at February 26, 2007 01:21 PM
Washington tunnel/viaduct/mudwrestling ping
Wow, The Economist has taken note of this? I'm with the mayor on this one, about the only thing I've ever agreed with him about. The viaduct is an eyesore, as would be any similar replacement.
You have GOT to be kidding me! A tunnel would be a nightmare......water, water, everywhere.....and the costs would make the Boston Dig look like a playskool project. Too bad if a few Seattlites can't see the "view". Do you have a financial interest in property down there?
The first plan carried a luxury tab of $4.6 billion. Then, earlier this year, Mr Nickels came up with a surface/tunnel hybrid, or “tunnel lite”, a narrower, less complex tunnel that would cost $3.4 billion.
HaHAHA !!! Our "BIG DIG " started out around 2 billion dollars. we have some experienced tunnel workers we could ship out to you.
I don't have the answer, though. I can see both points of view.
That's an old picture....we now have TWO stadiums in that view!
Actually I took the photo on Jan 25th 2007. The other stadium is to the left, out of view.
There's no reason anything should look ugly in Seattle.
It's really kind of disheartening how these beautiful locations have been all but completely overrun with wacko liberals.
*sigh*
I know it's not the Kingdome, but I thought the two stadiums would show up in THAT view.....so sorry.
It's a wonderful picture.....(even if I THOUGHT both stadiums would show up in it.)
hmmm, a very appealing offer thank you. Do their Mafia thug / overseers come with the package or would they be extra? If they go ahead with the tunnel / buried aqueduct / submarine passageway ./ deathtrap plan as opposed to the elevated highway / lowbid / deathtrap plan, we will likely have turf wars with the local Indian - errrr... NATIVE AMERICAN, excuse me, tribes who will invariably discover various ancestral reasons to delay and raise the cost of any new digging. Mafia muscle would be a big help in that circumstance.
Hands down, Seattle is one of the ugliest cities in America. What most people don't understand about Seattle is that its historical development was based on heavy industry not much different than Pittsburgh's.
While it didn't necessarily have massive manufacturing facilities, the legacy of its resource extraction (timber, fishing) and transportation industries is still quite evident by the number/size of its huge train switch yards, commercial trawling/tug facilities, etc sprawled all over the waterfront area.
The best thing about Seattle is the view beyond the city itself.
That has to be a fake photo - the traffic is moving.
LOL. True. You may notice that the headlight/taillight trails for the cars on the onramp and freeway are shorter than the ones for the surface traffic going under the overpass.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
