After a year of promising to give us their much-anticipated viaduct solution before the curtain closed on 2008, Gov. Chris Gregoire, King County Executive Ron Sims and Mayor Greg Nickels have dodged a decision– at least for another few weeks. In a statement released moments ago, the big three assure the populous that they’ve made “great progress,” while asserting that there’s only “one chance to do this right.” If the recent letters from stakeholders attached to the announcement are any indication, the delay is to buy WSDOT more time to study the hybrid surface street/deep-bored tunnel idea favored by downtown businesses, manufacturing interests and the Port. Gregoire/Sims/Nickels say they’ll make a final recommendation to the state Legislature– which holds the purse strings for the project anyway– in January.