December 13 marked the cut off line of the Viaduct Replacement Project comment period and here's what your Ballard District Council submitted after taking a close look at the supplemental DEIS for the Deep Bored Tunnel.

"Dear Ms. Freudenstein:

The Ballard District Council appreciates an opportunity to comment on WSDOT’s Supplemental DEIS for the Seattle Deep Bored Tunnel project. We feel strongly that this project will have a substantial affect on the lives and livelihoods for those of us in Ballard during the estimated five year construction period. After the tunnel opens and the viaduct is removed, the project will dramatically alter how this community will access downtown Seattle/central waterfront destinations and will forever change how we navigate virtually every traffic corridor in Seattle.

In our review, we identified the following concerns with the analysis in the SDEIS:

The impact of the bored tunnel alternative on traffic movement between Ballard, downtown Seattle and beyond has been has not been analyzed in depth. Further analysis of impacts on freight mobility and other motorized vehicles on I-5, Alaskan Way, various truck routes, and east/west connectors between the waterfront and I-5(such as Mercer Street) would be helpful, particularly focusing on the relative benefits of the mitigation projects and whether they can truly be coordinated. Without such further information and analysis, we believe that there is insufficient evidence in the SDEIS to provide a realistic idea of the impacts of construction to the potential users of the revised road transportation system. We understand that this item is addressed more specifically in comments discussing freight mobility impacts that have been submitted by the Ballard Interbay North Manufacturing Industrial Center (BINMIC), the Seattle Marine Business Coalition (SMBC) and the North Seattle Industrial Association (NSIA).

The SDEIS is insufficient because it does not include adequate mitigation plans that mitigate impacts or effects from tolling. This deficiency makes it difficult to comment on impacts identified as a result of tolling. The potential diversion of traffic from SR 99 to I-5 and Seattle surface streets (as a result of tolling) is a significant impact and needs to be better addressed and potentially mitigated.

The SDEIS does not attempt to quantify economic impacts that will occur due to travel delays due to reduced freight mobility through this area. (see comments 1 and 2 above). These could result in profound impacts on businesses in Ballard and other areas, but because it was not analyzed, it makes it difficult to comment on impacts. This also appears to be a deficiency in the SDEIS.

The SDEIS fails to describe a specific plan for detouring traffic and how that detour will be mitigated during the time from when the existing viaduct is removed to when traffic on the new surface Alaska Way is established. It is critical that WSDOT develop a traffic management plan so that a logical and efficient flow of traffic can be maintained for all modes of travel including commercial, maritime, industrial, freight, commute and residential traffics to and from Northwest Seattle during this period. It is our belief that that much of the traffic originating in Northwest Seattle will be unable to or will choose not to travel the corridor via the tunnel and that this impact needs to be addressed and mitigated.

We are grateful for the opportunity to help determine how this project will be of maximum benefit while doing the least harm to Ballard and all of Seattle. We look forward to your further analysis of the deficiencies we have identified and hope that we can be part of a mutual discussion to consider reasonable mitigations and their funding.

Respectfully,

Catherine Weatbrook, President"