Bury Bertha, build a bridge
Feb 10, 2014, 10:33 AM | Updated: Feb 11, 2014, 1:30 pm
KIRO Radio's Dori Monson says it's time to stop the Seattle tunnel project and build a bridge across Elliott Bay instead. (WSDOT/KIRO Radio listener/file)
(WSDOT/KIRO Radio listener/file)
Taken from The Dori Monson Show on KIRO Radio.
The latest Bertha update is that they now have indefinitely put the Seattle tunnel project on hold because Bertha can’t move.
Here is the update from WSDOT:
“For two months, the contractor on the SR 99 Tunnel Project, Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP), has been working to determine what caused the stoppage of the SR 99 tunneling machine on Dec. 6, 2013. WSDOT and STP have identified two contributing factors: a clogged cutterhead and high-temperature readings indicating there were other factors to explore.” Read more of the details.
It’s time to pull the plug on this project. It’s time for a public official to be responsible of our tax dollars and say this is ending up costing us too much. The people who are in charge of it are either incompetent or fraudulent, one or the other, and it’s time to look at plan B and pull to the plug on this.
A listener, Ted in Kenmore sent us a D-mail saying: “Dori, start a build a bridge, bury Bertha campaign.”
You could build a straight bridge from the Battery Street Tunnel that would go out over Elliott Bay and reconnect with the land south of the stadiums. I started promoting this plan, the Elliott Bay Bridge, six or seven years ago.
In other cities, for example San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge is a signature landmark. The Sydney Harbor Bridge is an absolutely spectacular gorgeous bridge.
What have we done in this city since the Space Needle? I’m not a huge fan of the architecture of the EMP. I guess the Ferris Wheel on the waterfront has become a landmark. I like that. But an Elliott Bay Bridge would be spectacular and it would be a fraction of the cost of the tunnel. Why that plan was not considered I still don’t understand.
But I think it’s time for our show to leave some kind of lasting legacy. I’m a Seattle native. I love this city. I chose to live here and raise my family here and to work here my whole life. If we could help push this tunnel project into oblivion to save the taxpayers’ money and for a fraction of the cost convince our lawmakers to build the signature piece of architecture in our city, we could leave a lasting impact here.
It’s time to pull the plug. It’s time to fill the hole. It’s time, as listener Ted said, to build a bridge and bury Bertha.
Taken from The Dori Monson Show on KIRO Radio.
Related:
Fixing Seattle tunneling machine to take months
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