Gregoire urges decision about Seattle tunnel
OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire said Tuesday she hasn’t ruled out an underground highway for the Seattle waterfront, but wants the city and other key players to make a decision promptly.
Gregoire, the state’s top transportation official now that the Legislature has given her control of the Department of Transportation, ordered the agency to quickly update cost estimates for the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement in Seattle and for a new State Route 520 floating bridge across Lake Washington.
The price tag will be in the billions for both and not all of the money is in hand, the governor said at a news conference. An expert review panel last week noted that construction costs are soaring with each passing month that Olympia and Seattle-area leaders and voters haven’t settled on designs and financing.
The rickety viaduct, vulnerable to collapse in a major earthquake, is to be replaced by either a tunnel or new viaduct. The Legislature has set aside about $2.5 billion, roughly enough for the rebuild option. The tunnel could cost an additional $1 billion.
Some legislative leaders, including House Speaker Frank Chopp and House Appropriations Chairwoman Helen Sommers, both Seattle Democrats, have made it clear that the state dollars were approved only for the rebuild option. Still, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and other influential leaders are pursuing the tunnel.
Gregoire declined to give a firm opinion Tuesday, saying the tunnel is feasible and relatively safe from an engineering standpoint. But she said there are questions of financing and potential problems accommodating truck traffic.
The 520 bridge, meanwhile, is another “megaproject” that needs quick attention, she said. Depending on the number of lanes and design features, the new floating Lake Washington bridge would cost between $1.7 billion and $3.1 billion.
Gregoire said she has asked legislative transportation chairmen to hold hearings on “public-private partnerships,” possibly including tolls on the new 520 bridge. The state is building a new Tacoma Narrows span with tolls.
Gregoire said she won’t ask for a general state gasoline tax increase to fill the gap.