the WSDOT engineers were afraid of at least 2 things:
- possible / future earthquake damage
- not enough projects for engineering job security.
Also, the increases of values of the adjacent properties has gone astronomical due to having a better view of the water, buildings & land were being sold & re-sold multiple times each week....
The tunnel project went gonzo over cost estimates, much of that responsibility to be later decided in court so the lawyers will be sure to get their share too....
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2019 07:32PM by GNPE.
GNPE Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------ > > The tunnel project went gonzo over cost estimates,
Boston's "Big Dig" (I-93/"Central Artery") replaced an aging elevated with a massive tunnel complex. It was sold to us at $4.5B, finally finished at around $24.5B. Naturally, we still have massive commuting congestion. Now the Mayor is looking into "congestion fees (pricing)."
The main cause of the over-runs here was a failure of the boring machine, 'Big Bertha', which Naturally wasn't made in the U.S.A..
the failure was partly attributed to a left-behind (undisclosed?) pipe which (?) caused about a year's delay; the huge machine had to be removed from the hole & re=built.
'Luckily' the cost over-runs weren't on the scale of the Big Dig, but the BD was constantly mentioned when tunnel wags chatted.
GNPE Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > we're assured that current seismic standards are > adequate to be safe in all but ultra-extraordinary events.
they have probably made those tunnels very strong. We’ll Hope!!!
One of my most vivid memories of Seattle was many of the drivers seemed to be in training as proctologists.
When I learned to drive in SoCal, the rule of following was "one car length for every ten mph of speed." In Seattle, they weren't happy unless the front bumper of their car was right up the exhaust pipe of the car ahead of them. Regardless of speed.
Once a light has gone yellow, they accelerate and tailgate the car ahead to make sure they are somehow, some way, in the intersection after it's turned red.
"But Officer, the light was yellow!" they say. So I wrote them a ticket, "Yellow Light, Fail To Stop In a Timely Manner--$150." "You said it was yellow. I'm not going to argue the matter."
BTW, Catnip, are you gf to SchrodingersCat or anything?
There is a conundrum about that cat; either it is or isn't, either here or there, or some such thing. My memory isn't what it once was. SC and I are not "related."
And on the topic of intersections; what are the rules for "roundabouts??" My DH does most of the driving, and he sails through them without a hint of trepidation. But I have no clue. Do you treat them kind of like stop signs, regarding right of way? (i.e., if the guy on the right got there first, he goes through first, etc.)
Ironically, civil engineers call them "traffic calming devices,"--YYAAAAAAAaaaaaaahhh! What do I do now---EEEEEiiiickkk!---what's that jerk doing?--AAAiiii!--Get out of my way!!!"
Okay, Catwoman: Technically speaking, entering a roundabout is tantamount to a "yield" sign, whether posted or not: entering the circle, you yield to any vehicle already in it. This can become especially confusing when the rotary has two (or more!) lanes circling it, as vehicles already in it may be navigating their way inside or outside the ring.
Then there's this: Q: Who has the right-of-way in a roundabout? A: Whoever has the most body damage.
And no, I didn't suggest that you and SchrodingersCat were an item, just that your usernames were fun to play with (I do that a lot). so you're not SchrodingersCatNip?
Farrels Ice Cream on 130th and Aurora was great. How about Herfey's Hamburgers, the Princess Margurite (round-trip day cruise to Vancouver BC via large luxury liner), JP Patches (kids morning TV show).
azsteve Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > the Princess Margurite (round-trip day cruise to Vancouver BC > via large luxury liner).
I took my first Seattle gf to Victoria on the Princess not too long before it stopped (summer of '69); I asked her if she wanted (us) to get a room for the trip back (hinting of nookie, ja ja); Didn't happen :(
I wanted to take the Princess Marguerite day cruise SO badly! However, I was pregnant at the time (not even "scary" pregnant - only 6 or 7 months) but my now-ex refused. He was absolutely certain that I would go into labor on that ship.
I didn't learn until years later that he avoided water (despite having been a Navy officer) because he couldn't swim.
Robert E Lee Hardwick; I think he was the morning guy on KVI.
Unfortunately he took his own life in 1992 as radio was changing more to the Talk format. He worked at a few other stations and returned to KVI briefly.
The morning commute on I-5 from the North in to downtown Seattle used to slow down at around North Gate. I hear it's backed up every morning all the way to Mount Vernon now.
My first memory of Seattle was when I was 16 years old and M/D brought us 4 kids from New Mexico for the World's Fair, almost 57 years to the date ago.
We planned on spending 3-4 days visiting everything. Got in about noon on the first day and by the end of day two we were"faired" out.
Went out to the Olympic peninsula, camped out at Ruby Beach, learned to dig razor clams. The four of us got a gunny sack full. Still wonder if there was limits, or license requirements, or if it was open season.
Mom cooked them up, we all thought they were great sand grit and all.
I was born in Seattle during the Worlds Fair so I am the same age as the Space Needle.. i still live on the Salish Sea. Love it here. West Coast is the Best Coast.
I (allegedly) grew up in Richmond Beach, which is between Edmonds & Golden Gardens along Puget sound, I now live very close to Sequim. I'm sure Sequim is the driest place in Western Washington, I'd nominate it for the best weather spot in the U.S.
How about the two feet of snow you got this winter?
My BIL and his wife live in Sequim, one of his biggest complaints were the Californians that recently moved up and got their big SUVs and had no clue on how to drive in the snow.
His saying was, "You have to be smarter then the equipment you're trying to operate".