Viaduct is must-have for Seattle legislative delegation

OLYMPIA — Seattle's powerful legislative delegation is making a concerted push this year for billions of dollars to replace the aging, earthquake-damaged Alaskan Way Viaduct.

"I don't think I can go home without money for the viaduct," said Rep. Helen Sommers, D-Seattle, chairwoman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. "We need it. We have to do it."

"It absolutely has to happen this session," said Rep. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, also said he supports replacing the structure and is waiting for Murray to come up with a proposal to pay for it.

Tolls and gas taxes are among the options being considered for raising money.

House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, said the Democratic effort in the House "is the most focused will to get it done that I've seen."

"I think they are going to flex their muscles," Kessler said of the Seattle delegation. "This is so important to them."

Members of the Seattle delegation met repeatedly during the summer, and the viaduct emerged as a unifying issue, lawmakers say, although they're also seeking money for other projects across the state, including the Highway 520 bridge.

Big transportation projects have sat on the political back burner for several sessions, in part because of their enormous cost.

This year, not only does the viaduct have powerful friends, it's apparently becoming a bargaining chip for passage of a state budget. Lawmakers are struggling with whether to raise taxes to help deal with a projected $1.8 billion budget shortfall. Some members indicated that votes for tax increases could depend on money for the viaduct.

"What usually happens around here is that those people who are interested in transportation are not those people who are interested in the general fund," Murray said. "It's because of the viaduct there's been that merging of the issues."

Gov. Christine Gregoire's office said the governor doesn't have a position yet on funding for the viaduct.

It's not clear where the issue is headed in the Senate. "Our caucus hasn't even discussed it," said Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, chairwoman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

Sen. Bill Finkbeiner, R-Kirkland, Senate Minority Leader, said Republicans are keeping an open mind, but making no commitments.

However, Sen. Erik Poulsen, D-Seattle, said the viaduct is a hot topic among Seattle lawmakers in the Senate. "This issue has brought our Seattle delegation together more than any other that I can remember," he said.

The state Department of Transportation estimates rebuilding the viaduct, damaged in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, would cost $2.7 billion to $3.1 billion. Lawmakers say they're driven to do something this session because of the danger of the viaduct being disabled by another earthquake. Engineers have estimated there's a 1-in-20 chance of that occurring in the next several years.

Murray said Seattle lawmakers have agreed to push for enough money to pay for a new bridge, but not for the tunnel that city planners prefer, which is estimated to cost a billion dollars more.

Marianne Bichsel, a spokeswoman for Mayor Greg Nickels, said the city would be happy with that. "It seems reasonable that if we wanted to do something different, we'd have to find other sources of money," she said.

The House Transportation Committee is looking at a range of options to raise money, Murray said, including a gas tax and tolls. "At a bare minimum, there has to be a financing plan in place that will replace the viaduct. If not all the funding, then funding for the initial stages," he said.

Murray emphasized that the viaduct, although high on the list for Seattle legislators, isn't the only project on the table. Replacing the Highway 520 bridge is also on the agenda, as well as other projects statewide, he said. "I think this is going to have to be about a series of safety issues, including the viaduct," he said.

Andrew Garber: 360-943-9882 or agarber@seattletimes.com.