With the Alaskan Way Viaduct as a background a small but determined group of people who want the fight over the Viaduct to stop and for construction of a replacement tunnel to begin.

“Let’s build this damn thing already,” James Kelly, a main member of the Friday Secret Society Meeting and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle said.

The Friday Secret Society is becoming less and less of a secret as they publically ask the Seattle Government to quit stalling and do something about the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

He said enough is enough, the City needs to move forward with construction on the tunnel and a world class waterfront park in the process.

In the latest battle between Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and the Seattle City Council McGinn publically denounced Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin for signing the supplemental draft environmental impact statement (EIS), which will keep the city of Seattle as the lead on the project. McGinn asked Conlin to rescind his signature and asked the Governor not to accept the signature on behalf of the City.

McGinn had asked his staff for more time to look into the EIS report before signing it. Conlin signed it before the City lost their position as lead on the project.

Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond released a statement last week thanking Conlin for moving the process forward.

“I want to thank the Seattle City Council and Council President Richard Conlin for signing the supplemental draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement along Seattle’s central waterfront. His signature allows the environmental analysis of the proposed bored tunnel to be released for public review and comment next month. It also means that the City of Seattle will remain as our partner as we respond to public comments on the environmental analysis, develop mitigation measures, and prepare the final EIS,” Hammond Said.

“The Federal Highway Administration, the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Seattle Department of Transportation have been working toward today’s deadline to sign the supplemental draft EIS for over a year. We cannot delay releasing this document for public review, and still maintain our schedule to take down the seismically vulnerable viaduct.”

FSSM member Cathy Allen said the tunnel project to replace the viaduct would bring the City 30,000 jobs. She said Seattle needs to get out of its self-inflicted malaise.

Allen said they are tired of the fight at City Hall being the message of this project. When asked what they hope to accomplish she said “we are ready, willing and able to be counted.

David Freiboth, labor leader in charge of the Martin Luther King County Labor Council said they are not interested in placing blame. “It takes two sides to fight,” Frieboth said. He wants the City to resolve the problems and move forward.

He said most everyone is embarrassed at how the monorail fell through in Seattle. Freiboth said lets not repeat it.