The children on the Seattle City Council and their playmate Greg Nickels may yet get their names on some waterfront parks, and their legacy poured in concrete. From the Seattle Times:

OLYMPIA — Gov. Christine Gregoire this morning left the door open to replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel.

Without committing herself to a course of action, the governor said she wants to hear what voters say in a March 13 election in Seattle on the viaduct.

“There is no question that the next big issue is what do the voters say,” Gregoire said at a news conference today.

The Seattle City Council voted 6-3 Friday to put two questions on an advisory ballot. One asks voters if they prefer to replace the viaduct with a $2.8 billion elevated highway; the other asks if they want to replace the viaduct with a $3.4 billion tunnel.

The only saving grace for the new tunnel is that they think it will be cheaper than the old one. They haven’t done the analysis yet though, so this may still be a pipe dream.

Councilwoman Jan Drago said “This issue is highly emotional. This is absolutely positive news. It’s a great opportunity for us.”

That’s right. It’s a great opportunity for the Seattle City Council to cement their legacy with another boondoggle.

At least someone will get to vote on this. Now we’ll see how badly King County Elections manages to mishandle the ballots in this all-mail election. They don’t have a great track record so far.

Previous Posts:

• Tunnel almost buried
• Seattle City Council Balks at Vote?
• Governor: Give Voters the Choice
• King County Council conflicted over morality
• Mayor Nickels ready to act like spoiled child
• Seattle City Council among reasons viaduct cost could rise
• Do we need another big government agency for transit?
• More drivers, more time in gridlock

Cross posted at Perri Nelson’s Website

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