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Now that a firm date has been set to decide the future of the Viaduct (the Legislature will take up the issue next January) we can all turn our eyes across the city to 520.
Today the city council will vote on their guidelines for a revised 520 bridge, featuring desired lane and shoulder width, and possible impact on the Arboretum.
Council member Richard Conlin told the Weekly:
"We specifically crafted the resolution...[to say] what are the things we want to see happen, as opposed to endorsing one plan or another…We don't want to get ourselves caught up in that situation—like we got caught up in the viaduct—where essentially we're out front saying, 'We want this,' and then all kinds of other complications emerge. What we wanted to do is lay out what are the criteria, what are the steps that we think are important in making the project work. It's the state's clear responsibility to select an alternative."
So it’s going to be a project with less decision making than the Viaduct—super.
The 520 bridge has been called a priority by state leaders which means a final decision should come several years after this happens.
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Since the 520 bridge is a state highway who give a rat's ass what the Seattle City Council think about it? It's not under their jurisdiction or budgeting authority.
SR99 (the viaduct) is a state highway too. And the alignment of 520 (horizontal and vertical) matters a great deal to the City of Seattle given its proximity to the Arboretum.
And no-one gave a rat's ass what they said about the Viaduct--I believe they backed a tunnel at one point, correct?
The city council should really just stick to locating traffic circles and what not--the city runs pretty well, and I assume they have something to do with that.
Seth I believe in typical Seattle fashion they could not reach a consensus on anything.
520 and the Viaduct replacements are multi billion dollar mega projects and while the City Council and Mayor can offer advice to the State they don't actually get to decide how the Legislature spends the transportation budget on the projects.
Speaker Frank Chopp is the one guy in Seattle who is holding all the cards on the future of HW520 and HW99.
What we need is for someone to just make a damn decision. Preferably one that involves blasting light rail across the thing, whether anyone seems to want it or not.
Maybe we can give Paul Allen an incentive to have transit included in the project - then it's sure to happen.