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Deep Bored Tunnel Bill Is Signed Into Law – News Round-up

“This was not an easy process, but it’s done. It is done. It is done,” Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said Tuesday afternoon at a signing ceremony for state legislation to replace the elevated highway with a deep-bored tunnel. “Today we end the era of the Viaduct.” Before signing the bill, Gov. Chris Gregoire addressed people who still questioned whether the state could build the tunnel on time and within budget. The tunnel, enhanced surface connections and associated work carry a total estimated price of $4.2 billion.

Viaduct-replacing Tunnel Bill Gets Governor’s Signature,” Seattle P-I.com, 5/12/09

Gov. Chris Gregoire Tuesday signed the bill designating a bored tunnel as the replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct in downtown Seattle. Gregoire said the tunnel option makes financial sense, will cause the least disruption to businesses on the waterfront, and will allow commerce and people to move through Seattle.

Governor Gregoire Signs Viaduct Tunnel Bill,” Puget Sound Business Journal, 5/12/09

As just about anyone who follows Washington politics knows, what to do about the elevated highway hugging Seattle’s downtown waterfront has occupied the city for years. As early as 1973, two then-Seattle city councilmen, John Miller (founder of Discovery Institute’s Cascadia Center) and Bruce Chapman (founder of Discovery Institute) suggested tearing the viaduct down and replacing it with a tunnel. 

It’s Done: With Pen To Paper, Gregoire Gives Seattle A Tunnel,” Cascadia Prospectus, 5/12/09