OLYMPIA — The state will demolish the Alaskan Way viaduct in Seattle by 2012 regardless of whether city officials have decided by then how to replace the vital transportation artery, Gov. Chris Gregoire says.
“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 said Thursday.
Gregoire was asked if she could disregard the state’s largest city and county and unilaterally tear down the crumbling double-deck structure, which is used by more than 100,000 vehicles daily and carries State Route 99 along the central waterfront.
“Yeah, watch me,” she told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
King County Executive Ron Sims praised Gregoire for her 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 state is committed to provide $2.8 billion for replacing the 55-year-old elevated roadway, which was damaged nearly seven years ago in Nisqually earthquake, but officials can’t agree on how to proceed.
Mayor Greg Nickels favors a tunnel, the most expensive option. 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 could not wait.
“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.”
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