Governor Christine Gregoire and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels signed a memorandum of agreement on Oct. 24 that outlines the responsibilities of the state and city for construction and funding of the proposed deep-bore tunnel as a replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct. (The Seattle City Council approved an ordinance on Oct. 19 that endorsed the tunnel and authorized execution of the agreement—you can find Northwest Hub’s coverage here.)
The agreement establishes a partnership between the city and the state for removing the viaduct along the waterfront between South King Street and the Battery Street Tunnel. The state will fund the replacement of SR 99 along the waterfront, removal of the remaining viaduct and construction of a new waterfront boulevard. The city will improve streets such as Mercer Street, replace the central waterfront seawall, relocate utilities and build new public spaces along the waterfront.
The Federal Highway Administration, state and city are leading the environmental review for the viaduct replacement along the waterfront. A second supplemental draft environmental impact statement, which analyzes the bored tunnel and builds upon the previous review of other alternatives, will be published for public review in early 2010.
