I enjoy driving down the viaduct…northbound is prettier than heading south in my opinion but I love this old structure. I’m going to miss it when it’s gone and I think it’s really concerning that our elected officials have no regard for the citizens who voted to keep the viaduct. Instead, they are blazing ahead with plans for a tunnel. Why vote when your officials don’t honor the voice of their citizens? Adding insult to injury according to this article, Seattle homeowners may get the bill fo cost over-runs. Your thoughts?
Just as some have boycotted Safeco Field for similar reasons…I will not drive in the new tunnel when/if it happens. You can read many article regarding the controversy of the viaduct vs. the tunnel here.
2026 Update: I have to admit, the new waterfront is beautiful. I will do an updated Sunday Drive to share for those who find this old post. I also tried the tunnel once and honestly, I hated it! I felt very claustrophobic with no shoulders should you need to pull off… so me not liking the tunnel makes it even easier for me to boycott it 😅
I do highly recommend visiting the Seattle waterfront – just skip the toll and the tunnel!
About Rhonda Porter
Agree completely. It’s irresponsible to decide on the tunnel as the option when there’s not money in place to build it – the old bait and switch, and once they’ve broken ground, the taxpayer will get stuck.
There’s going to be a huge boon for property owners along the current viaduct. If they agreed to pay the bulk of the cost overruns as a special levy, then I would be all for the tunnel. But of course that’s not what’s going to happen. Every billion dollars in overruns is $4000 for a family of four in the city. That’s a lot of cash for the mayor and his downtown buddies to steal from us.
BTW, great blog – I’ve started using this as the go-to place for checking rates.
Rob, I’d feel better about it if the property owners who are going to benefit from the tunnel option paid for a larger share of the over-runs.