Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« Republican Tax Proposal Would Screw… | Dean Fawkes Submits New Candidate f… »

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

City Seattle City Council Throws Money at South Park Bridge

Posted by Cienna Madrid on Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 4:15 PM

This afternoon, all nine Seattle City Council Members signed a letter pledging $15 million to replace the 70-year-old South Park bridge, which is slated to close permanently at the end of this month. The total bridge replacement cost is estimated at $130.8 million.

"We're very pleased with the money," says Dagmar Cronn, the newly appointed co-chair of the South Park Bridge Coalition, which is lobbying city officials, the port commission, Tukwila city officials, and state officials for funds. "Frankly, since the South Park Bridge Coalition formed, we've been having a bit of an easy time of it. Everyone agrees with us. This is an issue who’s time has finally arrived. We can’t leave the bridge alone like this."

King County Executive Dow Constantine echoed this sentiment in a statement released today. “This commitment demonstrates to the thousands of businesses and residents in the South Park community that King County and its regional partners are moving forward with bridge replacement by assembling the necessary funding," he said.

In addition to Seattle City Council's $15 million, Constantine's office reports that the King County Council is reviewing legislation that would commit the county to $30 million for the project. The county is also currently applying for a federal Tiger II grant to cover a large chunk of the bridge replacement. However, successfully getting the grant depends on first finding local funding. "The clear message we've received is that local money will get us there," explains Constantine spokesman Chris Arkills, who says that those evaluating the grants place a high emphasis on community collaboration. "It's great to see the city acknowledging that this is a bigger problem; the county doesn't have the tools to deal with it alone."

So where's Mayor Mike McGinn in all this? His staff has yet to return calls for comment but Cronn says that at a meeting held last Wednesday to discuss the bridge closure, when asked about funding "he indicated that he was supportive of Seattle contributing," says Cronn, "but he didn't give a dollar figure."

Comments (16) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

They should have proposed replacing the bridge with a South Park Tunnel. The state and county would have given them a blank check.

Posted by tunnel contractors = shadow government on June 15, 2010 at 4:31 PM

"We're very pleased with the money,"

You'll be even more pleased if it actually shows up....which it won't.

Posted by Davip on June 15, 2010 at 4:33 PM

After the cost overruns on the Billionaires Tunnel, we won't have any money in Seattle for the South Park Bridge.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on June 15, 2010 at 4:36 PM

Since there is no plan or likelihood of the REST of the money showing up, this $15 mil will just get burned up by consultants and a few pointless staff producing some reports that no one will ever read, until it's exhausted and that all goes away. Good job, guys. It's a lot easier to build a few resumes than it is a bridge.

Posted by Fnarf

on June 15, 2010 at 4:37 PM

"So where's Mayor Mike McGinn in all this?" ...to answer your question, first ask: what's this have to do with bikes?

Posted by theophrastus on June 15, 2010 at 4:37 PM

People keep forgetting this drawbridge that costs $130.8 million to replace services two trailer park marinas a custom yacht builder and Boeing. Thats it.

Its a huge subsidy to private business.

South park is great a love muy macho, but do we really need to be spending money on subsidizing a glorified truck stop route, when they have access via 509 and east marginal way. The loss of commerce is about a rapidly declining Boeing plant workers being able to stop in for lunch.

Posted by meanie

on June 15, 2010 at 4:50 PM

@6 hits the nail on the head. The worst part of all this is that they'll "close" the bridge by leaving it full open. Light weight pedestrians & cyclists won't even be able to [sneak a]cross.

Posted by Westlake, son! on June 15, 2010 at 4:55 PM

@6 I have friends who live and work there. Maybe you live in an alternate universe?

Posted by Will in Seattle

on June 15, 2010 at 5:04 PM

@6 those of use that live in the area and don't work for boeing need those businesses too. so do people who live in white center. yes, we can take the 1st ave bridge to get to the mainland of seattle (though bus re-routing isn't going to be that simple), but other richer, whiter neighborhoods would never have this much of a hassle imposed, especially not in as dismissive a way as this.

Posted by mmmm on June 15, 2010 at 7:38 PM

I'm with 9.

Can anybody imagine investing in a place that has a bridge about to close? Imagine being a small business owner there, with the years-long countdown of neglect.

It is shameful.

Posted by MrBaker

on June 15, 2010 at 8:01 PM

@6 wow.. there are mom & pop businesses and a real community in South Park... they and the industrial businesses located there deserve this bridge. It's a crime that there was no replacement plan in place.

Posted by polkaparty on June 15, 2010 at 8:02 PM

Do Seattle politicians have an infrastructure fetish?

More to importantly, is the movie "Grown Ups" like aging comic actors wearing Mom jeans?

http://www.grownups-movie.com/?hs308=GU1…

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on June 15, 2010 at 8:33 PM

King County is hobbled in this fight because the Legislature has adhered to an outdated formula for the distribution of gas tax money to counties. This formula (30-30-30-10) is biased in favor of small, rural counties and is one of the reasons that King County hasn't had the money to pay for the South Park Bridge.

It's also the reason that King County has the only county ferry system in the state that receive no state support (the other counties operating ferry systems are Pierce, Whatcom, Skagit, and Wahkiakum, and they all get state money to operate their ferries. Not us though!).

We need a Legislature that is aware of and responsive to the needs of the biggest county and the biggest city in our state.

Posted by Joe Fitzgibbon on June 15, 2010 at 9:31 PM

The City council comes up with real money and the mayor holds a meeting. Four more years of this useless tool. God damn.

Posted by giffy on June 15, 2010 at 9:52 PM

@14 stop saying mean things about Richard Conlin.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on June 16, 2010 at 12:24 AM

To add my voice to the chorus, comment #6 is just plain ignorant.

Yes, there are many businesses down there besides Boeing. There are many thousands of residents who will be directly impacted. Firefighters and police have testified that their response times will be severely delayed, and THEY are worried about that. In addition, everyone who now uses the 1st Ave S Bridge to commute will soon be screaming High Holy Murder as their little quick trip over the bridge extends to 30-40 minute wait in a daily traffic jam, as the 20,000 cars, trucks and buses that currently use the South Park Bridge will now be funneled across the one remaining south end bridge.

Your comment is ignorant in the extreme. This bridge has been documented as needing replacement for more than 30 years now and to have matters come to this is nothing short of a disgrace and a black eye on the "progressive" face of Seattle. That said, any news of funding, however partial, is good news indeed.

Posted by merry on June 16, 2010 at 11:43 AM