City of Seattle NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: December 6, 2004 Contact: Casey Corr: (206) 375-6422 casey.corr@seattle.govJackie O’Ryan: (206) 684-8159 Jackie.oryan@seattle.govTUNNEL TO REPLACE AGING VIADUCT”100-YEAR DECISION FOR SEATTLE AND THE REGION”SEATTLE- Mayor Greg Nickels, Councilmember Richard Conlin and other city officials joined state and federal officials today to announce the decision to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct (State Route 99) with a tunnel. Because the seawall is deteriorating and the viaduct was severely damaged in the Nisqually earthquake, both aging structures need to be rebuilt in order to remove a threat to public safety and the economy.”Building another elevated freeway on our waterfront is not the right choice,” said the mayor. “Instead, we will seize this 100-year opportunity and build a tunnel that moves cars and noise off the waterfront, while maintaining our 21st Century transportation network. 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.”City officials are united behind the tunnel.”We’re answering the wake-up call of the Nisqually earthquake,” Conlin said. “This is our opportunity to maintain mobility for people and goods through the Alaskan Way Viaduct Corridor while improving connections between downtown, Pioneer Square, Belltown, and the waterfront. As we proceed with the project, the City is committed to retaining public land for public uses.”-More-Alaskan Way ViaductDecember 6, 2004Page TwoA simulation of how the tunnel will work and other information can be viewed on the mayor’s web site, http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/issues/viaduct/.After 22 months of study, Federal Highway Administration Washington Division Administrator Dan Mathis and Washington State Secretary of Transportation Doug MacDonald joined the mayor and city officials to announce the “preferred alternative” for replacing the ailing seawall and viaduct, and securing the future for Seattle and the region. At the formal announcement today, the tunnel was praised as the right choice for Seattle and the region. The Alaskan Way Viaduct will be replaced with a surface road between South Hanford Street and South Dearborn Street. A new aerial interchange will be constructed at Atlantic and Royal Brougham Way. At Dearborn Street, the highway will dip into a six-lane tunnel that will run beneath the central waterfront. Near Pike Street, an aerial structure will continue from the tunnel to the existing Battery Street Tunnel, with a lidded section near Victor Steinbrueck Park. The Battery Street Tunnel will receive safety improvements. The Elliott and Western ramps will remain in place, maintaining key access points for travelers. North of the Battery Street Tunnel, SR 99 (Aurora) will be lowered to allow for bridges at Republican Street, Harrison Street, and Mercer Street. The tunnel is estimated to take 7 to 8 years to build and will cost between $3.4 and $4.1 billion. “The tunnel provides enormous public benefits,” said Nickels. “The lid at Victor Steinbrueck Park is just one example. The lid will extend the park, provide a pathway to the water, and make the waterfront a more accessible and enjoyable destination for residents of Seattle and the region.”The Federal Highway Administration, Washington State Department of Transportation, and City of Seattle will pursue an aggressive funding strategy to bring federal, state, regional and local dollars to build the project. Significant funding has already been applied to the project from the federal government, State of Washington, Puget Sound Regional Council, and City of Seattle.”We will look to the state to fulfill its responsibility to provide the replacement costs for State Route 99,” Nickels said. “The city will provide the leadership necessary to get the additional funding for the tunnel from other federal, state and local sources. This is a big job, and we’ll get it done.”The viaduct is one of the state’s most important transportation corridors, carrying 110,000 vehicles a day. Since 2001, millions of dollars have been spent to secure it. In addition, the nearby seawall is also at risk. Its support timbers have been eroded by decay and infestation by underwater wood lice, called gribbles, and the structure was damaged in the earthquake.-More-Alaskan Way ViaductDecember 6, 2004Page ThreeThe tunnel selection is the result of extensive analysis and public comment. Over the course of two years, more than 250 meetings were held and 4,500 comments were received from the public. Two central themes emerged. First, people worried about their ability to get into and through downtown. Seattle is famous for its traffic congestion, and no one wanted it to be worse. Second, people realize that the waterfront is a precious public asset, and we should work to make it cleaner, less noisy, less harmful to our environment, and more accessible and more enjoyable for all. The next steps for the project will be to complete the Final Environmental Impact Statement in late 2006 and pursue federal, state and regional dollars to fund the project. Construction to replace the viaduct and seawall will begin in 2009, if funding is available. The public will continue to be involved as design is completed and the best way to build the tunnel is determined.For more information, visit the mayor’s web site: www.seattle.gov/mayor/.Get the mayor’s inside view on initiatives to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm.###