TAKE ACTION
We can join together to stop this poor use of billions and achieve the full potential of the Seattle waterfront for freight, for mobility, for ecology and for you. You can bring about this change:
- Have your organization join the People's Waterfront Coalition. Call 206-624-1061 to schedule a presentation and discussion with your group.
- Donate money to this effort.
- Write your elected officials NOW and tell them you would rather see Seattle connected to Elliott Bay than separated from it (and bankrupted) by a highway megaproject.
Officials announced the tunnel as the preferred alternative in December 2004. However, at $4.5 billion, they are having a difficult time figuring out how to pay for it. Elected officials are starting to look for an affordable "Plan B", and they need to hear your support for a fiscally responsible, simple, and sustainable solution. Letters are the most effective way of bringing your voice to the people who represent you. Phone calls are also extremely effective.
Below is a template for letters and emails. Edit it to emphasize what you think is most important for the future of Seattle's transportation system, and the future of Seattle's shore.
Dear Elected Official,
I am writing to urge you to reconsider the plan to build a new highway to replace the Viaduct. The end of the Viaduct's useful life offers us a chance to rethink how Seattle uses its precious shore lands for the future. Other cities around the globe have removed urban highways, to the long-term benefit of their communities and economies. I believe that the City of Seattle, the marine ecology of Elliott Bay, and the Central Puget Sound region may be more vital without new highway along Seattle's central waterfront.
The People's Waterfront Coalition is advocating an alternative solution for the region's mobility where lost capacity is replaced with improvements to the larger road network and transit systems. Check it out atwww.peopleswaterfront.org. This solution deserves thorough consideration -- especially now that we better understand the limitations and unaffordable cost of the tunnel. I would rather decrease my personal driving than pay for a new highway, if it means Seattle will become a healthier and more sustainable city. We owe it to our children to be rethink the way we provide stewardship to Seattle's downtown shore, our most valuable economic, civic, and ecological real estate.
Please analyze a "no-highway" solution for transportation, and examine the long-term benefits that may result from reclaiming shore lands for more appropriate uses. If we don't look at this alternative approach, we'll never know if we missed the simplest, most economical, and most sustainable solution for Seattle's future.
Sincerely,
Contact Information
Mayor of Seattle
Mayor Greg Nickels
600 4th Ave, 7th floor
PO Box 94749
Seattle, WA 98124
206-684-4000
website
Seattle City Council
600 4th Ave, 2nd floor
PO Box 34025
Seattle, WA 98124
206-684-8888
Seattle City Council Members
Richard Conlin 206-684-8805
David Della 206-684-8806
Jan Drago 206-684-8801
Jean Godden 206-684-8807
Nick Licata 206-684-8803
Richard McIver 206-684-8800
Tom Rasmussen 206-684-8808
Peter Steinbrueck 206-684-8804
Sally J. Clark 206-684-8802
King County Executive
King County Executive Ron Sims
516 3rd Ave, Room 400
Seattle, WA 98104
206-296-4040
Governor of Washington
Governor Christine Gregoire
PO Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504
360-902-4111
website
Washington State Legislature
Find your representative online
Senate Transportation Chair
Mary Margaret Haugen
PO Box 40410
Olympia, WA 98504
360-786-7300
House Transportation Chair
Ed Murray
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504
360-786-7311
Washington State Transportation Commission
POB 47308
Olympia, WA 98504-7308
(360) 705-7070
website