There are also many safety issues involved here but to enumerate these would take a lot of space.

And isn’t it interesting that even though American politicians want “We the People” to be paranoid about terrorism so that the politicians can strip us of our constitutional rights, they don’t mention terroism and tunnel in the same breath. Why? Because the pro-tunnel politicians know that the tunnel would be a prime target for terrorism, and there’s not much the government can do to prevent it. What’s the government going to do: make all the cars pass through a metal detector?

Then there’s cost: 4 and a 1/4 billion dollars for starters + cost over-runs. And anytime the politicians conspire with big business this way to fleece the public, there are always cost over-runs.

And who would use this tunnel? I’ve read that 100,000 motorists per day use the viaduct. Oh? Is this 100,000 different motorists each day making a one way trip, driving off into the sunset never to be seen or heard from again? Or is it more like 50,000 motorists per day making a round trip? This is an example of how statistics don’t lie but liars (big business/government) can learn to manipulate statistics. And for the most part, it’s probably the same 50,000 per day.

Then let’s talk about environment. Is this tunnel supposed to help get people to stop using their cars and start thinking about our planet? Not hardly! Our government is determined to keep people IN cars. For instance, our federal government was giving tax breaks to people to buy new cars, even though “energy saving” cars are very bad for the environment. How so? It takes a lot of energy and uses a lot resources and causes a lot of pollution just to manufacture a new car. And that’s before you even buy it and drive it. New cars! Tunnels! This is all in an effort to boost the profits of corporate power: the auto industry, oil industry, etc.

Many people who gripe about higher taxes are among the first to vote these taxes in. Of the 30% who voted “yes” on the tunnel, how many of them complain about big government spending and higher taxes? How many of them, for instance, complain about welfare programs? This tunnel would amount to welfare for the people who are too self-centered to stop driving their cars, or at least drive them less.

PS I was born in Seattle and am proud to say that I have never had a car. And It’s probably been several decades since the last time I was on the viaduct.

Is there an emergency air system in case the Tunnel collapses?

Is there an evacuation system from the Tunnel and for people leaving the waterfront in case of earthquake or tsunami type event?

How many exit doors will be available in case of emergency?

Will there be a walk path built throughout the tunnel so handicap people can move in wheel chairs and biker use if needed.

Which would be worse urban planning, worse transportation planning, and also a bad use of scarce money.

I also don’t want the preceedent because some anti-rail crank might try something similar to kill one or more of the Link alignments.

The tunnel would have to be quite a bit larger in order to accomidate 4 lanes plus two link tracks.

Since there is only one tunnel I do wonder what they are planning on doing for emergency exits/access.

It’s funny how people who don’t use it think they don’t need it. Hello??? You think the 110,000 cars that drive on it every day are just going to stay home?

Where on earth is the message to get out of your car in all this? Yikes. By the way, did you see the elephant in the room moon walking through that press conference with Gregoire, Sims, and Nickels?

After crossing I5 on Madison, turn north following Broadway, connecting to UW link at the Capitol Hill Station. At the Brooklyn station. seperate from North Link, and head West on 45th as per the above alignment.

Instead of continuing from UW Bothell to Woodinville, Follow 405 North West with a station at Canyon Park and Alderwood Mall, then follow 525 North with stations at 99 and the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal. This alignment gives us another intersection with Link (probably ST3), Sounder, and ESR (assuming that ESR is extended also to the UW Bothell campus)

Also interesting that it is from WSDOT. I wonder how long it took to make and when the effort to make it was initiated.

Second issue: getting out of the tunnel. I assume you want LR to stop downtown, which means 160′ elevators. Yes, they pulled something like that off on Beacon Hill, but I have to imagine that it might present some trouble downtown. A new LR tunnel really should be close to the surface.

Third issue: it is absolutely vital that a Ballard to West Seattle Line INTERSECT the existing transit tunnel to facilitate easy transfers. That was one of the major problems with the monorail – it did not integrate well with the existing transit system.

Based on the graphic video I’ve seen, the “new” RR bus route would exit at Royal Brougham, travel surface streets through Pioneer Square (already a roadblock during rush hour) even if there’s no stops until the downtown “core” and have to deal with the extra vehicular traffic that will not be using the tunnel (since it’s down to two lanes with exits only before and after downtown) to get downtown. This is not faster. Only faster if dedicated bus lanes are installed (maybe it will use the bus corridor through SODO, even so, it’s got to get on surface streets at some point) and lights are timed to let buses through and there’s absolutely no traffic backups ever.