The Blog

Governor Chris Gregoire

01/13/09

Today, along with leaders in King County, the city of Seattle and the Port of Seattle, I announced our decision to recommend to the state Legislature that we replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep bored tunnel.

This decision meets the four conditions that all affected parties agreed must be met. We must keep people safe while providing capacity to keep people moving now and in the future. The solution must make financial sense, and cause little disruption as possible for businesses and the public.

We further agreed that the right solution should cover all modes of our transportation system to allow for growth, maintain a strong economy, and keep Seattle an incomparable city in the 21st century.

This proposal will create a significant number of construction jobs, which will help our economy. At the same time, we will improve the environment by eliminating much of the toxic storm water emptying into Puget Sound and by reducing greenhouse gases by giving people more transit choices. We have agreed on a fiscally responsible solution by capping the state’s investment at $2.8 billion and by partnering with local sources to close the gap.

A bored tunnel will create an incredible Seattle waterfront that citizens, tourists, and our children and grandchildren will enjoy. We will keep Seattle and the region moving during construction by leaving the viaduct open — and safe for drivers —until the new tunnel opens.

We settled on a bored tunnel because it solves an array of problems and because we’ve learned that the technology continues to improve. We know we can do it, and do it at a reasonable cost. This is a viable solution, and I’m very proud of it.  I’m also very proud of the many people who came together to make it happen.