The State Department of Transportation conducted a survey (PDF here) on the viaduct replacement project, and found this shocking little tidbit: while 84% of Seattle voters say that they have been paying attention to the “debate over what to do about the viaduct,” only 27% of them know that the current plan is the infamous tunnel.Really? With all the hullabaloo, less than a third of people that “pay attention” to the Viaduct replacement project don’t know what WSDOT’s plan has been for months?Just so everyone knows: WSDOT’s current plan is to replace the viaduct with a deep-bore tunnel.The press release offhandly mentions this, but mostly concerns how by the end of the phone call, 62% of respondents supported the tunnel “after learning key details” about the project. At the beginning of the phone call, only 42% thought that it’s a good idea. It sounds like the hidden message here is that 20% of people surveyed can have their opinion swayed by a phone survey.While we’re on the subject: since the Viaduct is the sickliest of all the Seattle bridges, it needs to close for its semiannual checkup this weekend from Spokane Street to the Battery Street Tunnel. Both north and southbound will be shut down from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.If you must drive through or past downtown this weekend, while you’re stuck in traffic on I-5, take comfort in how they are doing all the little things it takes for the bridge to not fall down while you’re driving on it, like checking for structural settlement, servicing the drainage systems, and covering up exposed rebar. A report of viaduct inspection results will be released on Friday the 22nd.
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