Anti-tunnel effort moving forward

Magnolia resident Elizabeth Campbell is moving ahead with an effort to stop the city from building a tunnel in favor of a new Viaduct. This week, she submitted her petition for an initiative, coincidentally designated Initiative 99. “This tunnel option is absurd,” explains Campbell on her website, YesViaduct.com. “(It) eliminates connections for the commuters and business drivers from Crown Hill, Ballard, Magnolia, and certain parts of Queen Anne. Over time, due to the tunnel’s design and traffic carrying constraints, over half of the now 115,000 people that use the Viaduct will no longer traverse through this portion of Seattle.” Campbell is now launching a petition effort: she has 180 days to collect 17,967 signatures. If she does, the city council can adopt Initiative 99 or put it to a public vote. Meanwhile, both state and city officials have promised a deeper look at ways to lessen the impact of the tunnel on traffic to Ballard and surrounding neighborhoods. (Photo from YesViaduct.com).