[T]he bored bypass tunnel, along with surface and transit improvements, must be among the options that move forward for further environmental review and design when the Gov. Christine Gregoire announces her viaduct-replacement recommendation.
I think the Alaskan Way Viaduct, and the circus surrounding it’s replacement, are proof that Seattle is one of the least corrupt cities in America. If we were a little more corrupt, the civic elite, with the city’s monied interests, would have put this issue to bed long ago, and we would never had had that ridiculous, and totally ignored, advisory vote back in 2007. After all, asking for the people’s input is really only useful if you plan on following their suggestions.
Hmm… Maybe no one on the city council has a cousin that owns a construction company or a concrete plant?
From the Phillips piece:
Is this a correct reading of the GMA? It would seem to me that the GMA says that people should live inside the urban growth area, not necessarily inside Seattle or in downtown Seattle.
Also, Phillips sites 70% of viaduct trips being “pass-through traffic”, but as more people live close to work and shopping and transit options become more viable wouldn’t that reduce the need for lane pass-through capacity?
So I just received a ‘breaking news’ email from the PI claiming that the deep bore option through downtown is the one. Dig baby dig.
I don’t think it’s a problem of a lack of corruption. I think the problem is a lack of backbone. This region is paralyzed by consensus-building and a fear of special interest groups.
In my day, the Government would do what needs to be done. Period. Example: I-5. They just said “You WILL be getting a freeway cutting through your city. Don’t like it? Too bad. It’s going to happen.”
I miss those days.
I have to admit that the bored-tunnel plan presents one really significant advantage–it’ll be the least disruptive. Since it’ll follow a different route (underneath First Avenue) the whole thing can be done while traffic continues to use the existing viaduct–assuming, of course, that the viaduct cooperates and doesn’t fall down until the tunnel is finished. Alaskan Way gets left left alone, and repairing the seawall will no doubt be simpler if it doesn’t have to keep the water out of a “cut-and-cover” tunnel right behind it.
Yeah, it’ll cost more, but we won’t tear up our “historic waterfront” and replace it with an even more Disneyesque reconstruction. Besides, the tunnel will be easier to convert partially or fully to transit later on.
@3 I recall the R.H. Thompson Expressway as being a story with a different ending.
Since corruption rarely gets prosecuted, how can it be illegal?
@5 My God, you’re right. I just read about it. There was even an infestation of those anti-American, road-hating NIMBYS back then.
I honestly believe that if the city tried to create a Seattle Center, or Woodland Park Zoo, or Green Lake Park today, NIMBYS would prevent it.
@7 “anti-American, road-hating NIMBYS”
Look at the route. I think at the time we simply called them something like “fucking rich bastards”.
That was also the era when the wealthier meighborhoods were getting their utilities undergrounded while Rainier Valley streets and other lesser neighborhoods went begging for sidewalks.
Spot on, Will.
Robert Moses rewarded his allies, and he rode roughshod over property owners, but goddamnit, he got things done. I’ve long argued for an environmentally-aware “Robert Moses for the 21st century”, who would actually make a decision.
Although I-5 carved a swath through some pretty nice neighborhoods.
Get rid of the freeway park and the convention center, widen downtown I-5 by a few lanes each way and I wouldn’t miss the viaduct too much. I avoid it anyway since being in the Loma Prieta earthquake and seeing what happened in SF and Oakland. Another ten seconds of earthquake and they would have all come down. I was darned near on the Cypress that day.
5/7/9 “Fucking rich bastards”?? In Wedgwood????? Are you kidding, or just ignorant?
So… it takes around eight years of hand wringing and negotiations to decide how to re-build the stupid viaduct, but we are forced to swallow the closure of schools with only about eight weeks of public comment, none of which has been paid the least amount of attention to by our reigning Princess of Fascism, Maria Goodloe-Johnson. Nice priorities there…
Neither, Artfart. If you grew up in the Seattle housing projects, or locked up in the old brick Seattle Youth Center on 14th and Spruce, as well as throw in a few years of homelessness as it was for me, then yeah, just about everybody was a rich fucking bastard, Artfart, even the people in the cheap bungalows across the street from the tall cyclone fence cage with barbed-wire at the Youth Center they let us play outdoors. Um, the fence wasn’t there to keep the balls from rolling out to 14th, if you catch my drift. Turnaround being fair, these days I’m the “rich fucking bastard”. I’m sure you realize, Artfart, that not every kid has a home and money, and how wealth is defined can be relative to one’s station in life. Take for example, a kid with absolutely nothing, including no family. A kid that didn’t even own the clothes on his back. I hope it was better for you than for me.
Hmm, I reckon I can see how I became one mean-ass SOB. Not as bad as I used to be, though. I’ve worked on it. I do slip now and then, which is one reason why releasing HA IP addresses probably isn’t such a good idea.
But I thought the viaduct was about to fall down and needed fixing/replacing NOW?
So Steve, being a homeless person and now being the “rich fucking bastard” (your words) what are you doing to help those homeless now? Or are you a man who wants the guvmint to use other people’s monies.
@13: It depends who is in charge and what they are in charge of. Where is the power? Who has the money? What is the “global” impact? Reminds me of the “burn” ban from Mayor McNickels.
“If nothing else, corruption gets the job done.”
The Blagojevich Doctrine.
It is not drill baby drill anymore, but bore baby bore
She loves those big drillin’ rigs. Wink.
The advisory vote was a ridiculous exercise. It was like asking a vegetarian if he wants steak or chicken. Neither was the right answer so people voted no on both. Now we got tofurkey tunnel. It’s not the same solution as before and maybe it’s a little more acceptable.
@17 Hey, Pudz. Ever so humbly, I give to Friends of Youth and save cats. In fact, the bulk of my estate goes to FYO contingent on them putting up a plaque in memory of a kid named Don Heider, who died for no good reason in Nam, and to put it where the old shop he tended used to be. Then, when we’re both dead, Don and I can wrestle with the devil in hell where we belong.
http://www.friendsofyouth.org/
It’s probably time for me to reload and save another cat sometime over the next few weeks, Puddy. It ain’t much, but the cat usually appreciates it. I somehow turned out to be a bit of a sucker for things locked up in a cage with no hope, no freedom, no nothing. Go figure.
You’ve got the bucks, Puddy. Give a few to Friends of Youth. Tell them Steve over at HA sent you.
Hey Steve, I’m into human charities. I support PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals). I support Samaritan’s Purse. I support Childrens’ International (2 kids each month). I support International Childrens’ Care. I support Boys & Girls Clubs of America. I support Father Flanagan’s Boys Town. Anything to support kids. And I support ADRA big time. Also I support Paralyzed Veterans of America. And both WA Council of Firefighters and the WA Fraternal Order of Police.
We’ll spill some liquids down our throats together someday.
Nice list there Puddy. I forgot that I give to Children’s hospital now and then, usually after some sad kid story. It might have started with this girl, Shira Putter, a long time ago. I still have the newspaper clippings, keep them in my Bible. Amazing how much courage can be found in a child. I could never forget her story. I didn’t know there was a book until I Googled her name just now. Now it’s a must read for me.
http://www.amazon.com/Shira-Le.....9991241701
Yeah, we’ll have to down a few some day.
Steve, when I see poor chillens on TV my heart and my wallet goes to them. Most libtards here turn the channel. You know who you are, right re-run?
God is watching. “And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me.”
When God opens the storehouses of Heaven, you have to give some to the less fortunate. It was the basis for Bush’s Faith Based Initiative!
I’m curious if you’re aware of the LDS welfare system and how they try to take care of their own.
My only issues with faith-based is accountability and discrimination. Who’s getting the money and what are they really doing with it? My own efforts in the past to find answers to these questions have come up empty.
Yes, I know how your group strives to take care of their own. I sometime bus ride with an LDS gent. I also made visits to Provo UT as I have some real good friends there.
Regarding your concerns, they are valid but a truly believing congregation will do God’s will. We run a city feed all from our own church funds. We could use extra funds and feed more but there are some on your side who don’t think money in our hands can go farther than money in their hands.
26 – You’re a liar.
Rerun@29: I’m a liar? I give more in one year than you in 5 or maybe even 10 years. I do it willingly fool. You’re so full of shit your porn eye is brown. You’re filled up with bullshit!
Regarding my “group”. Just to clarify, I’m baptised both Lutheran and LDS but I am pretty much non-denominational the past few decades. I’ve probably attended mostly Catholic mass in that time as I have no shortage of Irish and Filipino friends. If I lived in Seattle I’d want to go to the church on Mt. Baker with that bad-ass choir, as I do love me some gospel music.
When we hand out billions we need accountability, whether we’re giving it to faith-based organizations or Citibank. Trust but verify, I think the saying goes. Nothing less than full accountability is in my comfort zone. Of course, the few billion that’s given to the Faith-based orgs ain’t shit compared to what’s going down now with the financial institutions.
Ummm Steve,
You’ll lose your membership to the reservation with more comments like that.
Just don’t tell my extreme right-wing, Republican picnic attending girlfriend that I post here as Steve. If she saw some of this shit I’d be dead. Kidding. She knows that I’m very conservative in some ways, liberal in others, and an anarchist when I’m sleeping.
Steve, What? I’m shocked.