Seattle's plans to cope when Viaduct closes for construction

Is viaduct traffic heading to a street near you?

Rerouting calls for more trolleys, fewer I-5 ramps

By LARRY LANGE
P-I REPORTER

Moving people and goods around the construction shutdown of Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct might be done with new streetcars or trolleys, widening key city streets or even closing some freeway ramps.

Now the question is whether those possibilities -- and many others -- make sense and can be financed before the state firms up its plans for the viaduct.

Members of the Seattle City and King County councils, in an unusual joint session, heard Monday about dozens of ways to handle diverted traffic if the viaduct is permanently removed or while its replacement is constructed.

Ideas centered on increasing the capacity of Interstate 5 through downtown, making more traffic on side streets possible, and increasing east-west connections across the city. All or some part of the 103,000 vehicle trips on the viaduct daily would have to be diverted or eliminated during construction or after a permanent teardown.

Some options examined by city and state officials already are raising questions, including:

Adding streetcar lines or electric trolley service to First Hill and two-way electric trolley service on Madison Street. A First Hill line via Jackson Street was part of a road-and-transit ballot measure defeated last fall, but could be part of a possible new measure.

Closing southbound ramps on I-5 at Yale Avenue and Union Street, and northbound ramps on I-5 at Madison, Cherry and Seneca streets, to eliminate weaving that now slows traffic.

Adding vehicle lanes to First Avenue South, and Second and Fourth avenues, or bicycle lanes on Fourth Avenue, Alaskan Way, Pine, Bell and Blanchard streets and Royal Brougham Way South.

Adding two-way traffic on Roy Street near Seattle Center; Sixth Avenue south of Denny Way, and on Eighth Avenue, connecting it to an overpass above I-5.

Adding an I-5 overpass on Seventh Avenue for northbound traffic, and connections between surface Alaskan Way and First Avenue on Seneca and Columbia streets. The connections to Alaskan are now blocked by ramps between First and the viaduct.

New pedestrian crossings of I-5, possibly at Harrison Street; on Aurora Avenue at Thomas, Harrison, Republican and Roy streets; and unspecified pedestrian improvements on Mercer, Valley and Bell streets, Westlake Avenue and Denny Way.

More "intelligent transportation" measures on I-5, such as posting accident warnings, and varying speeds in different freeway lanes to help traffic movement.

Officials said none of the ideas has been analyzed enough to determine its effects during a reconstruction or teardown of the viaduct. Officials expect to begin considering possible solutions, including combinations of steps, by July.

"The question is, what are the logical combinations" of measures, said Steve Pearce, manager of a city urban-mobility project related to the viaduct replacement.

City Councilman Richard McIver said that because the state is replacing the viaduct, it should consider financing part of the city-street improvements, but state officials have not committed to such funding.

The state previously has offered $50 million toward the $168.5 million cost of widening the Spokane Street Viaduct and $30 million toward the purchase of buses to carry some commuters. Other financing will "come up as we look at alternatives," said Ron Paananen, state viaduct project director.

Gene Hoglund, leader of the pro-elevated highway group Families for an Elevated Solution, questioned eliminating freeway ramps and rerouting trucks onto Fourth Avenue.

"It's a dream. Evidently they plan on limiting cars coming into the city," he said. "That's the only way I can see this working."

Although council members praised their staffs for collaborating with the state for the first time since last year's citywide viaduct advisory vote, they asked for cost figures on proposals to expand transit.

Expansion would cost King County more in operating expenses.

"We could never pay for everything that was presented today, but we could do a lot of it," County Councilman Dow Constantine said.