Tonight at Cooper Elementary in Pigeon Point, state, city, and county transportation leaders — along with more than 50 members of the public — took the next step toward deciding the future of the critical central section of the Alaskan Way Viaduct – the section that Governor Gregoire has said will come down in 2012, period:
Half “open house” and half “open mike,” this was the first public meeting in this part of the “Central Waterfront Project” process – which is supposed to continue throughout the year, with a recommendation about the section’s replacement due by year’s end. The state’s project manager, Ron Paananen, told the Cooper crowd tonight what happens then:
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The state, city, and county say they are trying to figure out a solution that doesn’t just address what will happen in the roadspace now taken up by The Viaduct, but that also “looks at the potential for a package of systematic improvements within a broader area to more efficiently move people and goods …” A “mobility package” to try to ease the construction pain has just been announced (no major WS specifics in it that you haven’t heard about before).
But some of those who spoke during the meeting-ending “open mike” session tonight — drawing audience applause — say that pain may not be necessary – they are focused on challenging the assertion that the central viaduct has to come down.
First to speak was Craig Keller of the Viaduct Preservation Group, a proponent of retrofitting The Viaduct. He contended it’s “deceptive” that the government agencies involved in the process are “saying that this is not an option.” Another speaker who said he supports a retrofit, West Seattleite Bud Shasteen, declared he was “sick and tired of hearing that this is a public-safety issue” regarding allowing The Viaduct to stand — he and others contend it’s stronger than you’ve been led to believe.
All the while, however, as we showed you in a video report yesterday, work continues to strengthen four central columns of The Viaduct that have slipped so much in recent years, if they slip another inch or so, authorities will have to discuss whether to shut the whole thing down. (And they’ll be checking for slippage again during the next inspection shutdown the weekend of March 22-23.)
Next steps? Many of them. More open house/open mike sessions, though no dates have been officially announced yet; tomorrow, The Viaduct and other major West Seattle-related transportation matters are on the agenda for the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly lunch meeting. Also, the Viaduct Stakeholder Advisory Committee meets again February 28 (time and location here); its West Seattle representatives are Pete Spalding from Pigeon Point and Vlad Oustimovitch from Morgan Junction (here’s the full list of committee members).
By spring, the process will move to reviewing “project-related building blocks,” leading to “system-level scenarios” being developed in summer, and then a recommendation that is to come jointly from Governor Gregoire, Mayor Nickels, and King County Executive Sims next winter — moving on to the “legislative process,” as in votes and money-allotting and all that, afterward.
Beyond the Central Waterfront process, meeting attendees were reminded by some of the materials on display that other parts of the project are in the works too. In design right now — a project to upgrade the “fire and life-safety systems” in the Battery Street Tunnel, with work set to start next year, and the project to replace the south section of The Viaduct (between South Holgate and South King).
HOW TO TELL THEM WHAT YOU THINK (info from one of tonight’s official handouts):
E-mail – viaduct@wsdot.wa.gov
Phone – 888/AWV-LINE
Postal mail –
Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program
c/o Washington State Department of Transportation
999 Third Avenue, Suite 2424
Seattle, WA 98104
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