The campaign to convert the Seattle's waterfront into a park and boulevard is getting set to swing into high gear. The choice is no longer between a tunnel or a viaduct but rather is Alaskan Way to serve the 120,000 cars that use it every day or to become a row of million dollar condominiums facing a park.

Over 50 years ago the people realized that highway 99, the main highway through Seattle, could not continue to carry more and more cars through the city on Fourth Avenue. Their solution, and one that has served the city well for many years, was to reroute the traffic over a new Alaskan Way Viaduct. Now Seattle City Council members call those far-sighted council members dumb, ignorant and short sighted. The current council, unable to see the day when Seattle's population doubles now intends to force even more traffic back onto the downtown streets.

The next time you drive south out of Ballard to get to one of the stadiums, or to the airport, or aunt Em's house in West Seattle visualize what it will be like with no viaduct to speed you through town. The traffic will be tied up from the Ballard bridge to Safeco Field and on game day you will be forced onto I-5, already gridlocked by the additional 30,000 cars forced to use it every day.

A majority of the City Council (Drago, Conlin, Rasmussen, Godden and Steinbrueck) have made it known they wish to convert Seattle into a city where the residents walk, bicycle or ride public transit to work or shop. After all, it works in Moscow, why shouldn't it work here?

The current plans for a new viaduct are not perfect, but they are far superior to the two alternatives as it will at least continue to serve as an efficient alternative to I-5, something neither the new "tunnel light" or boulevard/park will accomplish.

During the next month voters will be deluged with pro-tunnel or pro boulevard/park propaganda. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been collected by local politicians to confuse voters. They hope the public, being told the election is useless, will not vote, and that the special interest groups can implement the boulevard/park alternative. Stop and think where this money is coming from - developers, construction unions and landowners who hope to make a fortune building a line of million dollar condominiums for a wealthy few rather than meeting the transportation needs of the entire city.

In the West Seattle Herald (Oct. 9, 2006) I wrote "This is an attempt by the council to manipulate the public into believing the park is the only reasonable solution to replacing the viaduct. The city council did not choose the tunnel option because they want a tunnel, but because it was the most costly option of the two choices given them by the Governor. They know it can't be funded. They will then come up with the "beautiful park and beach transit solution" as the only available option." Their decision to let people vote against both options in what is being called a "useless election" is merely another tactic to gain their end.

Vote for an efficient transportation alternative - Vote for the viaduct.

Frank Bradley

Gatewood