(October photo by Tony Welch)
As noted here Monday, the Northwest Seaport Alliance‘s managing members – Seattle and Tacoma port commissioners – had the West Seattle Bridge on their meeting agenda today. It’s a vital issue for them because the Terminal 5 expansion increases their stake in mobility to and from West Seattle. After a briefing and discussion, they decided to send Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan a letter – but they’re not taking a stand on repair vs. replace, yet. Instead, they hope the letter, which will emphasize their priorities and interests, will help the mayor in her decisionmaking. Co-chairs Peter Steinbrueck (Seattle) and John McCarthy (Tacoma) have a meeting coming up with her, too. Steinbrueck stressed that the bridge is important “to the entire region and state.”
Lindsay Wolpa, a Port of Seattle manager who’s on the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force (as is Steinbrueck), delivered the briefing, recapping toplines from the recently released Cost-Benefit Analysis, as well as offshoots of the bridge closure such as the West Marginal Way plan. Wolpa noted that the port is against the proposed northbound freight lane, and concerned about the possible two-way protected bike lane on the southbound side. She said the freight lane seems “unlikely to happen”; the port believes it would add more traffic to the corridor and further jam up the 5-way intersection close to the T-5 entrance, creating “havoc” as Steinbrueck described it. The port does support the signal and crosswalk on West Marginal for the Duwamish Longhouse, however, it was reiterated. As Wolpa quickly reviewed the alternatives the city’s consultant WSP studied in the Cost-Benefit Analysis, she noted that the “infamous immersed-tube tunnel” is “very concerning” to the port and NWSA, because it would “have a lot of impact” on maritime operations.
In addition to what was outlined in the CBA, she also spoke about the “rapid span replacement” that suddenly appeared as an option when the CBA was almost done. Commissioners voiced skepticism that its potential “rapid” timeline could really be met. Seattle commissioner Ryan Calkins said that if not for the last-minute appearance of the “rapid span replacement,” he suspected there would be “considerable momentum toward repair.” Another commissioner asked Wolpa what neighborhood groups are supporting; she said so far, most were voicing support for the “repair” option, to get traffic access restored as soon as possible. Calkins said an independent third-party review would be helpful; Wolpa said the Technical Advisory Panel is filling that role, and that it has given “repair” the highest rating, so far. Another concern, one that the city has voiced as well: Would money for a replacement decades down the road be harder to get than money for one now?
In the end, the commissioners decided to send a letter expressing their concerns and priorities rather than one with a repair/replace position; Steinbrueck emphasized, as he had at the last CTF meeting, that they need more information before they could take a definite stand. Meantime, no new date yet for the mayor’s decision, though Wolpa said she’d heard some talk it could happen on November 18th, when the Community Task Force meets again.
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