I have criticized Seattle so many times that you must wonder if I have it in me to say anything nice about it. Well, yes, I do! The new waterfront redevelopment that replaced the aging viaduct along the shore of Elliott Bay is wonderful. The Nisqually earthquake in 2001 hit the viaduct hard – just not hard enough to topple it. Sadly, that meant that city fathers and mothers and various activist groups could spend the next 20 years arguing about what to do about it.
The viaduct carried a lot of north/south traffic through downtown, so somehow that traffic had to be accommodated. The cheapest solution would be to tear it down and rebuild it. But everyone who visited the waterfront hated the grime and the noise that dominated the scene. It offered nice views to the drivers who used it, but surely we could do better than just build a new viaduct.
Every other idea would cost many billions of dollars more, and it was hard to get agreement on which alternative offered the best bang for the buck. Meanwhile the viaduct was being inspected frequently while we all hoped that the next earthquake would wait until after something new was in place. As it turned out, Seattle was fortunate. Disasters happened all over the world, but Seattle was spared, and the posh new waterfront park, built on top of the new tunnel is finally open for business. And guess what: It’s awesome.
I can’t really describe it, but it’s the sort of city enhancement that we all wish for. Get down there and explore!
Sauk City Blog 