Comments on: Tunneling our way to recovery

By: SeattleScape » Blog Archive » When you’re in a hole, start digging?

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:29:03 +0000

[...] this year I wrote a post based on a quote from John Maynard Keynes, the famous British economist of the last century. Keynes [...]

By: AJ

AJ — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:09:10 +0000

The tunnel, as planned, does not serve Ballard, Queen Anne or Crown Hill as previously suggested, cutting them away from the Bypass.

It does, however, serve the Gates Foundation and South Lake Union! Hmmm…

By: michael

michael — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:08:52 +0000

The analyses done for the stakeholder group showed that all options studied were sufficient to people and vehicles, including the surface/transit/1-5 option. So that 32,000 job loss sort of sounds like industry claims that clean air laws would destroy jobs, or the minimum wage would destroy jobs.

The more important question is what is the best way to spend $3 billion dollars to create jobs? Unless we are digging that tunnel by hand, my guess is that there are lots of better ways to protect and create jobs. Which might also have the benefit of helping reduce global warming, instead of making it worse.

By: Matt the Engineer

Matt the Engineer — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:53:30 +0000

A tunnel would be far from shovel-ready, and any spending would come too late for our current crisis. What is shovel-ready and could save West Seattlites and Ballardians alike? The green line. Shovels were in-hand, ready to dig when we canceled the Monorail.

By: Roger

Roger — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:55:45 +0000

Look at me, picking up the microphone again. When will I learn.

I will take another look at the Herbert study. I realize this is a huge issue for West Seattle and the industrial community but its my guess that the Hebert study was done based on data collected before the recession.

I doubt very much that those assumptions–or any assumptions–about job creation are going to be the same today when we are at the beginning of what might be the biggest economic shift in 75 years. I suggest you take a look at it again wearing those glasses.

My next song: Folsom Prison Blues.

By: Westie

Westie — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:43:41 +0000

A tunnel wouldn’t create many jobs, but it may well save over 32,000 jobs that are anticipated to be lost if the viaduct isn’t replaced in some form. That, and $3.4 billion per year for down time in the through capacity of the viaduct (25% of N-S trips in Seattle). Roger you should read the study by Hebert Research, the well respected PNW economics firm, before engaging in karaoke commentary.