“Yesterday the voters of the City of Seattle made a clear statement that they found neither of the proposed alternatives to replace the viaduct acceptable. Governor Christine Gregoire, Mayor Greg Nickels, and King County Executive Ron Sims today committed themselves to a collaborative approach for the needed replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. The steps they outlined are necessary to ensure safety for those of us who use the viaduct and to start on construction of its eventual replacement in whatever form that may take. I commend them for their leadership.

“It is now time for Seattle, King County and the State of Washington to work together to craft an affordable, functional, attractive, and environmentally responsible solution to move people and freight. As the King County Council representative for West Seattle and much of the SR 99 corridor, I use the viaduct several times each day and know how important it is to the daily lives of these communities.

“State and local leaders must move quickly to offer commuters both transit alternatives and roadway improvements in addition to the package announced today. Regardless of the final choice made for this corridor, we must have transportation choices for citizens in place before the viaduct comes down.

“It is critical that we move forward quickly on the improvements in the Regional Transportation Investment District (RTID) package and other state funded projects that would benefit users of the SR 99 corridor and nearby surface streets. These needed improvements include:

• Improvements to the Spokane Street Viaduct which eliminate railroad crossings and connect autos and transit to improved north-south corridors through SODO. This would include extending the bus lane to a new off ramp at Fourth Avenue.
• A new overpass at Lander Street to eliminate the conflicts with railroad traffic for freight, buses, cars and pedestrians. This project would greatly assist east-west travel and connections with transit and the freeway system.
• Reconstructing Alaskan Way to improve its function and providing direct access to the city street grid.
• A major new interchange on 99 in the stadium area, providing much better access to downtown than the current exits and entrances.
• A new direct bus connection from the I-5 HOV lanes along Industrial Way to link up with the SODO busway leading to downtown Seattle.
• Improving the connections to the street grid at in the Mercer corridor to better allow mobility and alternatives for autos and people.

“But these steps are not enough. We must be creative in scaling a solution to the true needs of the region that is affordable, attractive, and functional. To this end, I propose:

• The quick implementation of the “Rapid Ride” bus line from West Seattle to downtown funded by last fall’s voter-approved Transit Now package.
• The creation of a King County Ferry District in order to make the Elliott Bay Water Taxi a year round commuter alternative with better boats and permanent dock facilities, and to maintain the direct passenger ferry connection between Vashon Island and downtown.
• Expedited consideration of a light rail extension or some other form of high-capacity mass transit to West Seattle. It is essential that we start now with planning and design for rail in this corridor so that it is coordinated with road improvements and can be built sooner rather than later.

“The challenges of maintaining mobility in the SR 99 corridor will be enormous over the next decade. The impacts and economic costs to waterfront businesses, manufacturers and shippers, and on commuters are potentially staggering—but they don’t have to be. We must begin now on major surface improvements and expanded transit to avoid the economic impacts to our businesses and to guarantee mobility for commuters.”