The Ballard and Queen Anne District Councils along with the Ballard Interbay Northend Manufacturing and Industrial Center Action Committee are co-sponsoring a community forum Monday, March 23, to discuss how the deep bored tunnel option to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct will impact and serve the northwest Seattle neighborhoods.

The forum takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Ballard High School Auditorium.

In December 2008, Gov. Chris Gregoire, King County Executive Ron Sims and Mayor Greg Nickels proposed to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep bored tunnel. The proposal calls for a deep bored tunnel, and improvements to surface streets and to transit to move people and goods through Seattle.

Questions that will be discussed at Monday's forum include:

How will we access south end destinations as well as downtown Seattle?
What kind of access will we have to the northern entrance of the tunnel?
Will trucks be able to use the tunnel or will they use surface streets?
How will travel times through the corridor be affected?
Why is an economic impact study so important to decisions affecting the Alaskan Way Viaduct?

Audience members will be invited to ask questions of public policymakers making the decisions and private sector representatives with technical expertise.

Panelists will include reps from the state department of transportation, the City of Seattle, King County, and those in the field of tunnel construction, economics and traffic engineering.

The Seattle Channel will videotape this event for later broadcast on channel 21.

Those who drive to the event are asked to use the parking lot entrance located off Northwest 67th just east of 15th Northwest.