At a community forum last night at Ballard High School, Ballardites voiced their concerns about access to the northwest areas of the city if the bored-tunnel is built to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

A panel of seven representatives from the state, Seattle and King County departments of transportation managed the questions from the audience. Several maps were also shown to depict the numerous alternative routes of travel to and from the northwest area with the new bored tunnel.

Similar to last month’s open house at Adams Elementary, Bob Powers discussed the multiple ways resident here would be able to travel through northwest Seattle with the SR 99 Bored Tunnel and new Alaskan Way Boulevard.

Access to the tunnel will be from Aurora Avenue North, which will transition from a surface highway to the bored tunnel between Mercer Street and Denny Way, replacing the current route via the Battery Street Tunnel and the Alaskan Way Viaduct. At the Mercer Corridor, access to Aurora Avenue North and the bored tunnel will be provided in all directions.

As for traveling east to west, Powers said those coming from Ballard would be able to access Aurora by traveling on Northwest Market Street to North 46th Street, from Leary Way Northwest to North 39th Street, from Nickerson Street and by taking Elliott Avenue to Mercer Street.

However, he also said that three minutes would be added to the travel times of those accessing the viaduct at both Elliott and Western Avenue ramps.

Prior to the forum, Powers told the News-Tribune that in addition to what’s shown as an alternative route, coming from Ballard one can still stay on 15th/Elliot to get to the new Alaskan Way Boulevard, a new four lane boulevard along the waterfront.

The street will be a new connection linking Elliott/Western to Alaskan Way with a bridge over the railroad tracks. It will have two-lanes in each direction and left-turn lanes. There will be three lanes in each direction south of Columbia Street and near South Royal Brougham Way a ramp will provide direct access to southbound SR-99.

Construction of the bored tunnel is scheduled to begin in 2011 and could be completed by 2015.

"The viaduct will remain open through late 2015, which is when we expect to move traffic though the tunnel," said Ron Paananen, deputy urban cooridors Administrator for the state department of transportation.