Waterbuffalo
01-04-2008, 08:44 PM
Now sure how to say this but here is an article that intrigued me from the AP and Oregonian.
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/01/gregoire_2012_deadline_for_via.html
"OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire won't budge on a 2012 deadline for replacing the earthquake-prone Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle, even though city, county and state officials still haven't figured out how to replace the vital transportation artery.
"That's the timeline, I'm not going to fudge on it, and if we don't have some alternative by then, boy are we going to have a mess on our hands because it's coming down," Gregoire told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in today's editions.
Asked if she could, as governor, unilaterally tear down the crumbling double-deck structure if there were disagreement about a replacement, Gregoire said: "Yeah, watch me."
King County Executive Ron Sims praised Gregoire's position, but Seattle Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis said it was unrealistic to set an inflexible deadline while state and local officials negotiate on a replacement.
"This is not just an issue for the city of Seattle to ensure that the system functions when it comes down, this is an issue for the entire state of Washington, because this is the economic center for the state," Ceis said.
The viaduct was damaged nearly seven years ago in Nisqually earthquake, but officials haven't agreed on how to proceed. The state is committed to provide $2.8 billion for replacing the 55-year-old elevated roadway, which carries about 100,000 vehicles daily on State Route 99 along the central Seattle waterfront.
Mayor Greg Nickels once favored a tunnel, the most expensive option, but has abandoned that idea. Sims has proposed a street-level solution with a big increase in public transit, an option Gregoire says she might be willing to consider.
In an advisory election last year, city voters rejected both a proposal to build a new elevated roadway and a tunnel. The surface option was not on the ballot.
Elected officials subsequently decided to begin demolition and utility relocation on the south end of the viaduct while waiting as long as 2012 to reach agreement on a replacement.
The process has been going well, but to take down the viaduct by 2012, "It's going to take a real push by all parties involved," Ceis said.
"It's everybody's objective to get the viaduct down as soon as is possible and practical, but in order to do that you have to ensure that projects have been funded and completed that allow the transportation system to continue to function if you cut off that corridor," he said.
Sims said a viaduct replacement can't be delayed.
"The viaduct has to come down. It's not safe," he said. "I support (Gregoire's) position on that. It is a tough decision to make, but it's the smart thing to do."
Gregoire's commitment to the 2012 deadline also assumes that she is elected to a second term this fall. The Democratic incumbent is facing a potentially tough re-election challenge from Republican Dino Rossi, a former state senator who barely lost to Gregoire in 2004."
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/01/gregoire_2012_deadline_for_via.html
"OLYMPIA -- Gov. Chris Gregoire won't budge on a 2012 deadline for replacing the earthquake-prone Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle, even though city, county and state officials still haven't figured out how to replace the vital transportation artery.
"That's the timeline, I'm not going to fudge on it, and if we don't have some alternative by then, boy are we going to have a mess on our hands because it's coming down," Gregoire told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in today's editions.
Asked if she could, as governor, unilaterally tear down the crumbling double-deck structure if there were disagreement about a replacement, Gregoire said: "Yeah, watch me."
King County Executive Ron Sims praised Gregoire's position, but Seattle Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis said it was unrealistic to set an inflexible deadline while state and local officials negotiate on a replacement.
"This is not just an issue for the city of Seattle to ensure that the system functions when it comes down, this is an issue for the entire state of Washington, because this is the economic center for the state," Ceis said.
The viaduct was damaged nearly seven years ago in Nisqually earthquake, but officials haven't agreed on how to proceed. The state is committed to provide $2.8 billion for replacing the 55-year-old elevated roadway, which carries about 100,000 vehicles daily on State Route 99 along the central Seattle waterfront.
Mayor Greg Nickels once favored a tunnel, the most expensive option, but has abandoned that idea. Sims has proposed a street-level solution with a big increase in public transit, an option Gregoire says she might be willing to consider.
In an advisory election last year, city voters rejected both a proposal to build a new elevated roadway and a tunnel. The surface option was not on the ballot.
Elected officials subsequently decided to begin demolition and utility relocation on the south end of the viaduct while waiting as long as 2012 to reach agreement on a replacement.
The process has been going well, but to take down the viaduct by 2012, "It's going to take a real push by all parties involved," Ceis said.
"It's everybody's objective to get the viaduct down as soon as is possible and practical, but in order to do that you have to ensure that projects have been funded and completed that allow the transportation system to continue to function if you cut off that corridor," he said.
Sims said a viaduct replacement can't be delayed.
"The viaduct has to come down. It's not safe," he said. "I support (Gregoire's) position on that. It is a tough decision to make, but it's the smart thing to do."
Gregoire's commitment to the 2012 deadline also assumes that she is elected to a second term this fall. The Democratic incumbent is facing a potentially tough re-election challenge from Republican Dino Rossi, a former state senator who barely lost to Gregoire in 2004."