March Advisory Vote on Alaskan Way Viaduct

Friends of Seattle Calls for a “NO” and “NO” Vote on Proposed Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacements

Friends of Seattle recommends to its members that they vote NO on Measure 1 to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel and NO on Measure 2 for an elevated replacement.

As an alternative, Friends of Seattle is working with allied community groups and local, county, and state officials to develop a surface/transit option, a multi-modal, cost-effective solution which promotes density, environmental sustainability, and downtown livability, core goals of a 21st century metropolis. At a time of global warming, regional population growth, and rising housing costs, replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct is more than a mere transportation problem.

Friends of Seattle strongly opposes the construction of any elevated replacement roadway. An elevated highway would steal the waterfront from the people of Seattle, and blight downtown with noise and pollution. At a time when our region faces a substantial shortfall in transportation funding, spending billions of dollars on an elevated shortcut around downtown is a misallocation of scarce resources better spent on other projects.

Friends of Seattle also opposes the construction of an expensive tunnel, a proposal which was hastily produced and inadequately vetted. The construction of a tunnel could cause severe environmental damage to the Puget Sound intertidal zone. The tunnel proposal has encountered unequivocal opposition in Olympia and supporters have not responded with fiscally-responsible funding mechanisms. And with a smaller lid, the tunnel design has been cheapened and scaled back to such a degree that its urban design benefits have been reduced.

After the state’s two intolerable choices are voted down by the voters, our political leaders, at all levels, must work to find a solution that accounts for the goals and values of a livable and sustainable urban community. Friends of Seattle urges the city to work with the county and state to develop a real solution that: (1) replaces the Viaduct with a pedestrian-friendly Alaskan Way surface boulevard; (2) expands bus, vanpool, carpool, and water taxi services; (3) accommodates the movement of freight; (4) preserves city-owned land on the waterfront for public use as a park; (5) minimizes the environmental impacts of major construction on Puget Sound; and (6) accords with City and County commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.