Ballard residents and business owners are speaking out against state, city and county officials' plan to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep-bored tunnel.

"I don't think it's the best decision for the public in the long term," said Warren Aakervik, owner of Ballard Oil and a member of the North Seattle Industrial Association Board. "The tunnel doesn't make it. It's a heck of a lot better than any surface solution but it gives us all the pollution and doesn't help the way it's been presented."

Additional details are being released, including a projected four to five year construction period for the project.

The plan calls for the tunnel to connect the stadium area with Aurora Avenue with exits near Royal Brougham Way South and north of the existing Battery Street Tunnel. Some traffic would be routed southbound onto Alaska Way and northbound onto Western Avenue.

Gov. Gregoire, in making the announcement last week, said there will be investments in improved bus service, east-west city streets, a new seawall, relocated utilities, and an upgraded waterfront.

The bored tunnel will be approximately two miles long and carry four lanes of traffic with 50 mile-per-hour speeds. Drivers will bypass downtown by entering the tunnel near the sports stadiums in the south and connect to State Route 99 north of the existing Battery Street Tunnel.

There are currently three lanes in each direction on the viaduct. The new plan does not include an exit, as it currently exits, from Western Avenue to access downtown, Interbay and Ballard.

"It's a short-term, narrow minded decision if they don't connect to (Ballard, Interbay)," said Aakervik, whose trucks use the viaduct and the exit to haul supplies in and out of Ballard daily.

"Whatever the solution, we must maintain viable connections to the Ballard area for our residents, as well as commercial and industrial businesses," said Catherine Weatbrook, a member of the Crown Hill Business Association.

About $2.81 billion has been set aside by the state in gas taxes and federal bridge funds to pay for the $4.24 billion project.

The state's committed funds will be used for the new State Route 99 corridor from the sports stadiums to South Lake Union in a bored tunnel and restoring land under the existing viaduct to a four-lane surface street.

The funding plan also includes a local investment district.

Craig Benjamin, a Ballard resident and member of Sustainable Ballard, said he is "disappointed" by the tunnel plan.

He said transportation is the biggest "energy decision" people make daily.

"Transportation emissions make up over 70 percent of our regional air pollution and over half of our regional greenhouse gas emissions, not to mention the devastating impact impervious surfaces have on Puget Sound and our rivers," said Benjamin.

"Spending billions of dollars to build a tunnel that's basically a freeway which promotes the use of personal petroleum transportation clearly does not help to reduce our dependence on foreign oil or help alleviate our impact on climate change."

The state legislature will still need to approve the plan, which is supported by Gov. Gregoire, King County Executive Ron Sims, Mayor Greg Nickels, and Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Seattle Tay Yoshitani.

Allison Espiritu and Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 783-1244 or allisone@robinsonnews.com or rebekahs@robinsonnews.com

January 19, 2009