News
City Report: Tunnel Will Have Major Impact on Downtown Traffic
A new report commissioned by the city's department of transportation from consultants Nelson/Nygaard concludes that the downtown deep-bore tunnel will have even worse than anticipated impacts on traffic in the center city---impacts that will require the city to improve surface streets, transit, and pedestrian connections, essentially what proponents of the surface/transit/I-5 option have recommended.
Additionally, the report concludes that tolling a new tunnel would create an incentive for drivers to use Elliott or Western Aves., diverting even more traffic away from the tunnel itself. Under this model, just 38,000 cars would use the tunnel every day. Diversion would be worst during midday, when traffic on surface streets tends to be lowest and when tourist and other visitor use of the central waterfront is at its peak, "requiring design and traffic management on Alaskan Way to ensure a safe and comfortable pedestrian environment."
The report also predicts that the tunnel portals at Pioneer Square and north of Belltown will result in new traffic bottlenecks, both of which are "a concern given the valuable historical resources in the Pioneer Square area and the highly constrained street network and already high traffic volumes in the vicinity of the north portal."
Finally, although a tolled tunnel would result in about 15,000 vehicles being diverted from the waterfront to I-5, most of that would be mitigated if the state built the I-5/surface/transit option, which would improve the flow of traffic on I-5 by about 30,000 vehicles a day, including trucks that carry freight.
In a letter transmitting the report to the city council today, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) director Peter Hahn advised council members that he no longer believed the state department of transportation (WSDOT) was willing to hear the city's input on the project or cooperate with the city on project planning.
"WSDOT has indicated that it will not consider any further input from SDOT, and it will not share a draft of the final [Environmental Impact Statement, or FEIS] until it is presented for signature," Hahn wrote. "At this point, we are concerned that SDOT's role in reviewing and commenting on the FEIS may have been terminated or at least significantly curtailed."
Mayor Mike McGinn has insisted that the state has been withholding relevant documents about the tunnel, including the FEIS; however, state officials say they've been giving McGinn and SDOT information as it has become available, and aren't withholding anything.
Additionally, the report concludes that tolling a new tunnel would create an incentive for drivers to use Elliott or Western Aves., diverting even more traffic away from the tunnel itself. Under this model, just 38,000 cars would use the tunnel every day. Diversion would be worst during midday, when traffic on surface streets tends to be lowest and when tourist and other visitor use of the central waterfront is at its peak, "requiring design and traffic management on Alaskan Way to ensure a safe and comfortable pedestrian environment."
The report also predicts that the tunnel portals at Pioneer Square and north of Belltown will result in new traffic bottlenecks, both of which are "a concern given the valuable historical resources in the Pioneer Square area and the highly constrained street network and already high traffic volumes in the vicinity of the north portal."
Finally, although a tolled tunnel would result in about 15,000 vehicles being diverted from the waterfront to I-5, most of that would be mitigated if the state built the I-5/surface/transit option, which would improve the flow of traffic on I-5 by about 30,000 vehicles a day, including trucks that carry freight.
In a letter transmitting the report to the city council today, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) director Peter Hahn advised council members that he no longer believed the state department of transportation (WSDOT) was willing to hear the city's input on the project or cooperate with the city on project planning.
"WSDOT has indicated that it will not consider any further input from SDOT, and it will not share a draft of the final [Environmental Impact Statement, or FEIS] until it is presented for signature," Hahn wrote. "At this point, we are concerned that SDOT's role in reviewing and commenting on the FEIS may have been terminated or at least significantly curtailed."
Mayor Mike McGinn has insisted that the state has been withholding relevant documents about the tunnel, including the FEIS; however, state officials say they've been giving McGinn and SDOT information as it has become available, and aren't withholding anything.
