Senate and House Release Damaging Budgets

The House and Senate Capitol Budget’s were released April 1. Both bills could negatively affect architects. The AIA/WA has testified in hearings for both. You can see the testimony in the House Capitol Budget Committee below. AIA/WA has also contacted House and Senate Committees responsible for creation of the budget with our grave concerns.


Budget Concerns for Architects
The Senate Budget assumes $743 million in Capital monies being transferred to the Operating Budget. Most of the monies are backfilled using bond revenue. The Senate is taking cash that they would normally use to pay for capital projects this biennium and transferring it to the general fund. They will then use long term bonds for one time revenue and put that money back into the Capital Budget.

It is like using your Visa to pay your American Express. You incur long-term debt for what is otherwise a onetime expense. Even with the backfill of some of the programs using bonds, it creates a negative bow-wave for construction and reduces the total number of projects that can be funded in the capital budget.

Even more alarming is the fact that these budgets do not balance design and construction services. A key principle articulated in the budget description for higher education projects effectively eliminates funding for pre-design funding. The section reads “create construction jobs now by targeting investments to projects that will create jobs sooner rather than later. This principle is operationalized in the Senate proposal by prioritizing projects that are closer to being ‘shovel ready’ over those that are not, and by authorizing no pre-design and very few design projects, in order to provide as much funding as possible for construction.”

It is very shortsighted to not plan for future construction. In past recessions, public projects have been a bridge to when private construction restarts. The AIA/WA will continue to urge the legislature to rethink the cuts to pre-design and design and the transfer of Capital monies.

Alaskan Way Viaduct Project Update

The Department of Transportation has publicly released the details about all eight proposals being considered for replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. One proposal, scenario E, received some media attention when it became clear that the Speaker of the House, Frank Chopp, was a strong advocate for it. Scenario E has since been dubbed the “Choppway” or the “Megaduct” by local newspapers.

AIA Seattle, based on membership feedback, has long been a proponent of non-elevated solutions and the removal of the viaduct. However, the AIA has been actively evaluating the options.

Tayloe Washburn, president-elect of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and the AIA had a lively discussion about the options, political influences, the likely affects on traffic congestion, and the best interest of the public. The meeting ended positively and the AIA is also setting up a meeting with Speaker Chopp to discuss his proposal.

The AIA will continue to work on the progression of the viaduct by meeting with legislators and partners, publicizing our position with our members, speaking with transportation experts and attending upcoming Nov/Dec Viaduct Advisory Board Meetings.

Keep the Current Viaduct? - Talks continue

AIA members have spoken many times about how the Viaduct must be taken down for the health and welfare of the city. The AIA/WA continues to participate in talks and work alongside AIA Seattle to voice the opinion of architects.

Yet in the midst of many Viaduct proposals on how to replace the aging structure, a different, and potentially risky, idea has been added. A former state historic preservation officer wants to preserve the Viaduct and have it declared a historic landmark.

The AIA position favors removing the Viaduct in order to revitalize Seattle's waterfront. Eight proposals for replacing the current structure are being considered at this time.

What do you think?

Voice your opinion at any of the public meetings held by the Department of Transportation.

Viaduct Meeting Thursday - Will Consider Options

Scenarios for replacing the central part of the Alaskan Way Viaduct will be discussed Thursday, June 26, at a meeting of viaduct neighborhood representatives and other interested groups.

The meeting will be from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Bertha Landes Room of Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave. The location was changed from a previously scheduled site to accommodate larger crowds.

State Department of Transportation spokeswoman Emily Fishkin said the session will concentrate on two types of solutions: "surface and transit," in which viaduct travelers are shifted onto surface streets and into buses; and "bypass scenarios" that would retain a highway in the viaduct alignment between the Battery Street Tunnel and the Sodo area.

Alaskan Way Viaduct Discussions Continue

Discussions are continuing on how best to replace the crumbling Alaskan Way Viaduct. After the public vote in 2007 on the elevated and tunnel ideas, the state, City of Seattle and King County went back to the beginning. An advisory committee of local stakeholders was formed and all ideas were put back on the table.

The Seattle Times reports that there are ten options on the table (though really three categories). The categories are an elevated structure, a tunnel and a surface solution. Within these categories there are different options. For instance there is consideration of a deep bore tunnel and a partially lidded, depressed roadway as “tunnel” options.

The AIA/WA, along with AIA Seattle, continues to be engaged in the development of the various options. We are actively monitoring the advisory committee process and participating in stakeholder meetings.

The advisory committee is set to make a recommendation by the end of the summer (likely at its August meeting). Then the decision shifts to the Seattle Mayor, King County Executive and the Governor.

Legislature Requires Mediator for SR 520 Bridge Project

The House passed Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6099, by Senator Ed Murray (D-43, Seattle), to require the state to hire professional mediators to work with the local communities impacted by the State Route 502 floating bridge replacement project.

Senator Murray introduced the bill in response to major criticism from citizens in his district to the way the Washington DOT has handled the project. The bill requires to DOT to hire a mediator and planning staff to develop a project plan that can be agreed to by all appropriate parties impacted by the project. The mediator is empowered to work directly with citizens, local governments and others to resolve outstanding issue.

If successful, this could be a model for other mega-projects. The Alaska Way Viaduct replacement on SR 99 and the Interstate 5 “Columbia Crossings” bridge in Vancouver have also generated significant public controversy.

House Passes Transportation Goals Bill

Substitute Senate Bill 5412 amends the statutory policy goals for the Washington Department of Transportation. The bill sets 5 new major goals for DOT, including:

• Preservation: to maintain, preserve, and extend the life and utility of prior investments in transportation systems and services;
• Safety: to provide for and improve the safety and security of transportation customers and the transportation system;
• Mobility: to improve the predictable movement of goods and people throughout Washington;
• Environment: to enhance Washington's quality of life through transportation investments that promote energy conservation, enhance healthy communities, and protect the environment; and
• Stewardship: to continuously improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of the transportation system.

The bill as amended by the House expands upon these goals by including an additional section (section 6) that balances the needs of all transportation users including those using cars, bicycles and public transportation.

AIA/WA worked with the House Transportation Committee to also include a provision requiring the DOT to “Select engineers and architects to design environmentally sustainable, context-sensitive transportation systems that are integrated into the communities they serve.”

The bill now goes back to the Senate for concurrence with the House amendments.

Seattle Voters Reject Waterfront Highway Options

On Tuesday, Seattle voters rejected both highway options for replacing the failing Alaska Way Viaduct on State Route 99. Two options were put before the voters to vote “Yes” or “No” on an elevated highway or “Yes” or “No” on a tunnel highway to replace the viaduct. The votes so far are 70% against the tunnel and 55% against the elevated option.

Governor Chris Gregoire held a press conference today with Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, King County Executive Ron Sims and legislative transportation committee leaders on the next step. The governor laid out a plan that mirrors the proposal put forward by the AIA/WA.

AIA/WA’s proposal for the viaduct replacement includes:

• Create a public facilities district (PFD) to move the project forward. The state should take this project out of WSDOT’s hands and put it into the hands of an agency that can take a larger view of the problem and can represent a broader set of interests.
• Immediately implement transit enhancements, surface street improvements and other mitigation projects.
• Once the traffic mitigation is in place, demolish the viaduct and remove the public safety hazard.
• Create a new design for the waterfront. While the mitigation and demolition are occurring, there will be time to thoroughly evaluate new options for moving people into and around in the City of Seattle.

The Governor’s $900 million plan, which had the support of the other officials at the press conference, includes:

• Develop a collaborative process for bringing the government stakeholders together on a common plan.
• Begin safety repairs on the viaduct to stabilize it until its target demolition date of 2012.
• Utility relocation that can be accomplished immediately.
• Improvements to the Battery Street Tunnel and at Lenora and Battery Streets
• Transit and arterial improvements

Seattle Mayor Nickels, for his part, said he heard a clear message from the voters to not build another highway on the waterfront. He said that he will no longer push his proposal for a tunnel and will continue to oppose the building a new elevated highway.

Other than general comments, there were not details on what the ultimate replacement design may include. The speakers were careful to avoid committing to a plan, instead referencing the new collaborative process that will be developed.

Construction on the mitigation and related projects will begin this summer. The “collaborative process” will not begin until after the legislature adjourns on April 22, 2007.

Overall, the vote and elected leaders’ comments validate the position the AIA has developed on the Viaduct replacement. We will continue to work closely with city, county and state elected officials on the plan.

AIA Seattle and its leadership are to be congratulated for their role in the election and their continuing leadership on the replacement process.

Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct on the Agenda

At the AIA/WA Annual Meeting in November the delegates voted unanimously to support AIA Seattle’s proposal to permanently remove the viaduct. The position supported the Viaduct’s replacement with either a surface/transit corridor option or a cut-and-cover tunnel. Our press release on the issue is on the website, http://www.aiawa.org/.

In early December AIA/WA met with Governor Chris Gregoire’s chief of staff and her lead transportation aide to discuss the viaduct replacement. They were very understanding of the concerns that we raised. We were disappointed when later in December the Governor announced that rather than making a decision on the viaduct’s replacement, she would instead call for the tunnel and the elevated viaduct replacement to be put before Seattle voters in a head-to-head ballot battle.

This has caused no small amount of consternation in Seattle. The AIA/WA’s concern is the ballot measure is a Hobson’s choice for Seattle voters. It puts two bad solutions before the voters without adequate information available to voters on the choices, much less on other alternatives.

Today, the AIA/WA met with House Speaker Frank Chopp (D-43). He asked for the architects’ help in visioning a better option for policymakers to consider. He strongly opposes the tunnel because of its cost and high risk for complications. He supports an elevated solution, but is open to encouraging the development of more information on a surface/transit alternative. AIA/WA will follow-up with the speaker to see how we help with the decision-making process.

Next week will meet with Senator Ed Murray (D-43) from Seattle. He is the former chair of the House Transportation Committee and is now the vice-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. He has been a tunnel advocate in the past, but always has been concerned about the environmental and social impacts of both the tunnel and elevated replacement options.

In other viaduct news, Senator Ken Jacobsen (D-46) introduced a bill (SB 5022) to authorize additional for the Viaduct project and for the Lake Washington Bridges on State Route 520 and Interstate 90. The bill is a mix of new sales taxes and an extension of the stadium taxes.