Mayor Nickels unveils tunnel as replacement for viaduct
In Sunday's Seattle Times, Mayor Greg Nickels unveiled the official choice to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct: a tunnel that will run under the Seattle waterfront.
Nickels writes in his column, A tunnel to keep the traffic moving, a new welcome mat for Seattle's front door:
There are those who drive the viaduct who will bitterly complain about Nickels' choice. They are so overly concerned with their own view that they forget the viaduct blocks others' views. Since when has driving the viaduct been a sightseeing venture? That's what Washington State Ferries are for. We should not live in a society driven by the car!
We need to get out of this ridiculous notion that our cities and public spaces need to be built for the car. No, we need to create spaces for people! We need to create pedestrian friendly, bicycle friendly, earth friendly zones for human beings, not machines. We need to ensure that everyone has access to the waterfront, not just vehicles. And a tunnel is the best option for doing this. It removes the eyesore, the noise, and the danger of a costly collapse. It fixes both the seawall and the thoroughfare problem. It creates friendly public space. Nickels writes:
Last spring, I participated in a roundtable discussion with other citizens on how we could make our own city more people-friendly. I presented our roundtable's conclusions to the staff of the City of Redmond and other fellow citizens last April. The PowerPoint can be viewed here. I urge you to visit the PPS website and learn about their vision for the world's communities. You can also check out the state Department of Transportation's website for the viaduct replacement project.
Nickels writes in his column, A tunnel to keep the traffic moving, a new welcome mat for Seattle's front door:
After two years of analysis and public involvement, the city, the state Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration will jointly hold a news conference to announce tomorrow that a six-lane tunnel is the preferred option for the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Project.We agree with Nickels' conclusion. The viaduct is an eyesore. It is a hulking concrete structure that taints Seattle's waterfront. Anyone walking under it or near it hears the constant rumbling of cars and trucks overhead, a major annoyance. Underneath are raggedy, unkept gravel parking lots. The viaduct blocks the view of the waterfront from many of the streets and buildings in Seattle. It's just not a good idea to suspend a major thoroughfare above the waterfront. It's ultimately more dangerous to build another viaduct than it is to construct a tunnel and repair the seawall.
Building another double-decker freeway on Seattle's waterfront is not the right choice for Seattle or the region. Instead, we should build a tunnel that moves cars and noise off our waterfront, while maintaining our 21st century transportation network.
There are those who drive the viaduct who will bitterly complain about Nickels' choice. They are so overly concerned with their own view that they forget the viaduct blocks others' views. Since when has driving the viaduct been a sightseeing venture? That's what Washington State Ferries are for. We should not live in a society driven by the car!
We need to get out of this ridiculous notion that our cities and public spaces need to be built for the car. No, we need to create spaces for people! We need to create pedestrian friendly, bicycle friendly, earth friendly zones for human beings, not machines. We need to ensure that everyone has access to the waterfront, not just vehicles. And a tunnel is the best option for doing this. It removes the eyesore, the noise, and the danger of a costly collapse. It fixes both the seawall and the thoroughfare problem. It creates friendly public space. Nickels writes:
People realize that the waterfront is a public asset — a destination for residents of Seattle and the region. Public waterfront is precious, and we should do everything we can to make it cleaner, less noisy, less harmful to our environment, and make it more accessible and more enjoyable for all.Nickels' vision is admirable. It follows along in the thinking of the Project for Public Spaces - a strategy known as placemaking. I've had the chance to listen to a presentation by the president of this organization. Their work is truly outstanding. It's a vision we're trying to pursue for the City of Redmond. Slowly, but surely, we are developing our own transportation master plan that will call for the placemaking of public spaces.
We also took into account the evolution of the central waterfront. That part of the waterfront used to be Seattle's industrial "back door," but the ships and cranes have moved south, and it's no longer just a working waterfront. Our central city is becoming a place to live, as well as work, and the viaduct replacement choice should reflect the fact that the central waterfront is now our front door. We should recognize that the waterfront is a place for people to wander, meet friends and family, and enjoy the views of the city and Puget Sound.
Last spring, I participated in a roundtable discussion with other citizens on how we could make our own city more people-friendly. I presented our roundtable's conclusions to the staff of the City of Redmond and other fellow citizens last April. The PowerPoint can be viewed here. I urge you to visit the PPS website and learn about their vision for the world's communities. You can also check out the state Department of Transportation's website for the viaduct replacement project.
