The Viaduct and Prop. 1

This post originally appeared on Orphan Road.

Larry Lange, in a great roundup of Proposition 1, highlights some viaduct goodness in the package:

Seattle stands to get $323 million in regional money if Proposition 1 passes to finance about 90 percent of three major road improvement projects on Mercer, and South Lander and Spokane streets. Those routes could handle traffic during the removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and ultimately facilitate a surface-street replacement.

Indeed. Improving east-west connecitons south of downtown will make it easier to move people and freight without the viaduct. Additionally, adding lanes to I-405 will help realize one of my own little surface-transit ideas: routing Everett-to-Tacoma through traffic onto 405, freeing up capacity on I-5 to handle the viaduct-free future.

Either way, passing Prop. 1 will make a surface-transit replacement for the viaduct far easier.