
Bertha back on the move after 2 years of delays - e15ctr0n
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/bertha-restarts-after-two-years-of-delays/
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aaronbrethorst
This is essentially Seattle's version of Boston's Big Dig.

There are zero guarantees that this won't happen again, no one is willing to
say who's on the hook for cost overruns, and there's still no plan about what
to do if the viaduct happens to collapse while they're working on the tunnel.

Fwiw, I voted against this project, and I will be amazed if it is finished.

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thinkingkong
For someone not well-versed with the alternatives, could you summarize them?

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aaronbrethorst
Downtown Seattle features an elevated section of highway, known as the Alaskan
Way Viaduct. It dates back to the 1950s, and was heavily damaged during the
2001 Nisqually earthquake. There's no question that it's seismically unsound,
and our state DoT put out this simulation a few years back to demonstrate what
the next big quake is likely to do to it:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hos_uIKwC-c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hos_uIKwC-c)

So, a few options were proposed to replace it:

1\. Surface highway

2\. Cut and cover tunnel

3\. Deep bore tunnel

A surface highway is, by far, the simplest option to implement: you knock down
the viaduct, and repave the area underneath it (there's already a road under
the viaduct—it just needs expansion).

The viaduct is a death trap, and it will kill some or all of the people on it
when it comes down. There is absolutely no question about that in my mind
whatsoever. For that reason, I absolutely refuse to set foot on it. There's
going to be political hell to pay when it collapses and Seattleites are re-
reminded that there was no reason why anyone had to die on a highway everyone
knew was unsafe.

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chrismcb
The area beneath the viaduct would make a horrible freeway. It is, and should
be turned into a park with limited vehicle access. There is to much foot
traffic in that area. There are better ways to redirect traffic around
downtown Seattle without going directly beneath the viaduct

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chrismcb
One key point, the original completion date was dec 2015, as of today the
drilled about 10% and had had several breakdowns.

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jroseattle
The biggest issue I have with this project isn't the chosen plan -- it's that
Seattle waited 20+ years to take action. The 2001 Nisqually quake certainly
damaged the 99 bridge, but it was already in a state of constant repair prior
to that point. Before then, initiative after initiative was put on the ballot
as Seattleites would constantly register their preferences for how to deal
with the 99/waterfront area.

There have been lots of politics involved over those 20+ years, and if Seattle
is really _bad_ at something, it's politics. The project, as poorly planned
and estimated as it has been, is actually better than the historic alternative
-- doing nothing at all.

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chrismealy
There's a difference between Seattle and Olympia.

