Editor's Note: This letter was sent to Gov. Christine Gregoire with a copy to this newspaper.

The Ballard District Council is very concerned about the option you choose to replace the Alaska Way Viaduct here in Seattle.

The District Council in Ballard is composed of representatives from 24-member community, civic, and business organizations in the Ballard district. The Ballard district is home to nearly 50,000 residents and over 3,000 businesses including Seattle's Salmon Bay industrial area, located north of the Ballard Bridge. We have carefully listened to the needs and opinions expressed by those who live, work, and do business in the Ballard community and have conveyed our opinions about planning for this effort to both City of Seattle officials and the Washington State Department of Transportation.

We have thoroughly studied all options addressed in the draft environmental impact statement. We have regularly provided comment on all options under consideration through a variety of means including formal comment on the environmental review documents. Factors unique to this part of the city suggest that some alternatives under consideration could significantly negatively impact our community.

The District Council urges you to move forward to replace the Alaska Way Viaduct with a similar elevated structure and not the tunnel alternative favored by the City of Seattle. We believe that constructing an elevated roadway affords this community the most direct access, the greatest mobility for freight and may offer far less interruption to traffic movement during a lengthy construction period.

We recognize this is a very difficult decision for all levels of jurisdiction struggling with this important decision. The decision you make will have a major impact on the liveability and economic future of the Ballard community. Please contact us if we can provide further information on our opinion as well as the rationale for our point of view.

Mary Hurley

President

Ballard District Council