Mitigating the Viaduct

With the failure of the Green Line, the transit situation for the western portion of Seattle has been thrown into disarray. Whatever option is chosen for the viaduct replacement, there will be a considerable reduction in auto capacity through downtown during construction. This will last years, and the reduction in capacity could be permanent if the People’s Waterfront Coalition boulevard plan gains traction.

However, choosing the boulevard would reduce the cost of the project signifgantly. In an ideal world, this would free up resources for transit improvements to offset the loss of people-moving capacity. Over the next few weeks, I aim to explore the neighborhoods affected by the viaduct’s closure, and what sort of transit projects might improve mobility among Seattle’s neighborhoods.