Transportation officials invite public comment on a replacement to the viaduct at an open house, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 12 at Cooper Elementary School in West Seattle.

Representatives from the Seattle, King County and Washington departments of transportation will present on the state of the viaduct, and outline the activity of their Alaskan Way Viaduct Stakeholders Advisory Committee.

This committee of 30 community and business representatives will meet monthly throughout the year to consider various replacements to the central segment of the viaduct. Proposed solutions include a new elevated structure, a tunnel, and a combination of surface-only streets with enhanced transit. The committee will be evaluating the alternatives, making its recommendation to the departments of transportation, and to the governor, county executive and mayor, before the end of the year.

Public comment begins at 6:30 p.m. Officials will listen to oral testimony on how the advisory committee should evaluate the alternatives, as well as take written comments.

This is the first of three meetings for public comment. The next two open houses, tentatively scheduled for May and August, will be at locations along the viaduct corridor, from Ballard and Fremont, through downtown, to West Seattle.

Cooper Elementary - often called the new Cooper School since it moved to its recently-built school in September 1999, and to contrast it with its former building now occupied by the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center - is at 1901 S.W. Genesee St. in the Pigeon Point neighborhood of Delridge.

The open house will be in the cafeteria.

Regardless of which solution is chosen for the central segment of the structure, work has already begun on the viaduct. The Washington State Department of Transportation has started $915 million of planning, design, maintenance and construction.

Repairs began in October to stabilize four supporting columns, between Columbia Street and Yesler Way, which were damaged in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake. The fire system in the Battery Street Tunnel will be upgraded, and the north end of the structure, from the tunnel to Lenora Street will also be stabilized. Electrical lines will be removed from the south end of the viaduct, in anticipation of that portion of the structure being replaced between Holgate and King streets.

In addition, Gov. Christine Gregoire has pledged $2.8 billion toward a replacement for the central structure, which she has vowed will be razed in 2012.

Besides at the open house, comments may be submitted by:

- E-mail: viaduct@wsdot.wa.gov.

- Phone: 1-888-AWV-LINE (1-888-298-5463);

- Mail: Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement, Washington State Department of Transportation, 999 Third Ave, Suite 2424, Seattle, Wash. 98104-4044;

More information can be found at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/viaduct.

Matthew G. Miller may be reached via wseditor@robinsonnews.com