Now that we have heard all the rhetoric, guess what? Here comes all the hoopla.

Some seven years past and we are no closer to an Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement than we were after the 2001 Nisqually earthquake. According to the hoopla our city will lose the mobility through Seattle on State Route 99. With the city's $8.1 million spending of taxpayers money and the governor's rhetoric and her tough talk comments, an elevated replacement will not be completed and the cities surface street option will take its place. The people had better understand that the city will be the winner and the SR 99 corridor will be the loser along with the people of Seattle who rely on the mobility of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Upon reading Tuesday Feb. 12 Post Intelligencer, "Relief Coming For Viaduct Project," here comes the hoopla. The intent is to brainwash the public to revert the SR 99 traffic to I-5. The improvements to the West Seattle freeway to I-5 should have been completed years ago. I-5 is so congested now, adding 100 thousand cars a day will result in a disaster. It is imperative that we have two highways to handle the transportation needs.

The state makes it sound like this is a temporary solution to help ease traffic of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. There will be no replacement of the viaduct until 15 years to the time of the Nisqually earthquake. Meaning that we will be under the threat of a viaducts collapse up and through the year 2016.

The governor's rhetoric ("Watch me tear down the viaduct") she is referring to the elevated portion of the span that runs roughly from the Battery St. tunnel to Pioneer Square, which has been the most vexing and controversial piece of the transportation puzzle. This is the portion that our civic leaders favor for the surface street option, preventing an elevated replacement, which is unacceptable.

The least inexpensive and common sense approach would be a single elevated roadway with two or three lanes in opposite directions, with surface street transit options or access north and south from Battery Street Tunnel to the Pioneer Square area/ This would maintain the present and future mobility of SR 99.

The viaduct replacement cannot afford to wait another eight years, to 2016, before being constructed. The $2.8 billion commitment will not be available in 2016 because it was allocated with 2007 funding. The longer we put off the viaduct replacement will the state continue funding the rebuild with 2016 funding? Unlike Minnesota, when the bridge collapsed, they don't wait 16 years to replace it, so why should we? The time is now! Stop this nonsense of rhetoric and hoopla and complete the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall replacement now.

Wake up Seattle and take whatever action is necessary, it's our city, not our civic leaders.

Guy Gallipeau

Seaview