Seattle, Seattle, Seattle. What is wrong with you? I’m one of your native sons and I keep wondering why you are so bad with major works projects – especially those that involve moving people around. I know you have good intentions, but you just suck at the whole process. Oh yeah, you rocked the World’s Fair, but your average has been a little bleak since then.
I’ve been reading David Roberts’ piece on what he calls your “unbelievable megaproject fustercluck” (i.e., replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel). I don’t know if he’s a native, too, but he nails the Seattle ethos. Makes me think of all the other times the people on the Sound got big pieces of it wrong.
In the 60’s, Seattle turned down a truckload of federal money to build a rail system because – Well, I’m not sure anyone really knows why, except why do we need transit when we have our cars? That money went to Atlanta.
In the 80’s there was the great bus tunnel project that was almost brought to a screeching halt when it came out that the marble that was going to be used in the various stops in the tunnel was bought from South Africa. Looked for a while like we might have to eat that because the outcry was so loud.
For 40 years, everyone in the Emerald City was jonesing for a monorail system that would whisk Seattleites Jetsons-style all over the city. Man, that would have been cool! We just had to figure out a way to get it without paying for it. (Yes, I said “we.” I was a part of it then, too.) We kept saying we wanted it and then voting against funding it Finally we decided we would put up the bucks, but it kept showing up on ballots over and over to make sure we really, really, really, really wanted to go through with it. Then we spent a load of money, laid plans, bought property all along the route before . . . Abort!
And do I need to mention the bridge? We sank a floating bridge, for God’s sake!
Now Big Bertha, the tunnel borer without a reverse gear (Seriously?), is stuck underground having done only a small portion of her job, the project is being held up for months while repairs are attempted underground and cries of “Abort!” are filling the air.
Of course there are a lot of contributing factors to these bad choices. Sometimes it was government officials who didn’t listen to the voters. Sometimes it was because the voters didn’t have foresight. And most times it’s been because for all their recycling, cigarette banning and bicycling, Seattleites really love their cars. It was often said in the 90’s that Seattleites voted to support transit so everyone else would use it. I used to think about that a lot when I was riding down I-5 counting all the cars with only one passenger.
Who could blame them? Why would anyone give up their privacy and independence for a bus? Transit is for kids, old folks and poor people. Cars are cool. Buses? Not so much. I hear people like the light rail, though. Who would have thought of that way back in the 60’s?
I may be wrong, but I think the general dedication to the mantra “I must drive” has gotten in the way of a lot of clear thinking. Maybe Seattle has changed in the seven years that I’ve been living away. Maybe.
I’m including a couple of photos of the Ferry Building – which used to be blotted out by something just like the Viaduct.- to show how fabulous the Seattle waterfront could be with a simple, cheap surface street, leaving millions and millions of dollars to upgrade mass transit. It could happen, Seattle!
Abort the fustercluck! Abort!