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High above the Seattle early evening skyline on Thursday, at the Harbor Club on Second Ave., a group of citizens and leaders concerned about the future of Seattle’s waterfront gathered to hear about lessons in waterfront revivalism and sustainability from their City of Brotherly Love brethren. The discussion, organized by Discovery Institute’s Cascadia Center, focused on what Seattle can learn (and potentially apply) from a process that the historic city of Philadelphia went through over the last several years to reclaim its waterfront along its equally historic Delaware River. Seattle’s waterfront, with its magnificent vistas of mountains, islands and the Puget Sound, is arguably the grandest in all of the United States. It is home to marinas, the port, restaurants Read More ›

Cascadia Center of Discovery Institute’s Bruce Agnew recently became the chair a NAFTA-chartered commission focused on the issue of sustainable freight transportation. The Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has embarked on new study to evaluate opportunities making freight transportation more sustainable in North America. Bruce Agnew, Executive Director of the Cascadia Trade Corridor, discusses the role of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation in evaluating opportunities for making freight transportation more sustainable in North America. The commission is nearing the completion of a report that will be shared with Trade and Environmental Ministers prior to the G-20 session in the summer. Agnew recently attended a working session for the group in Mexico. (Above, in his own words.)

Deb Hubsmith and Andy Peri, both of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition. The Cascadia Center for Regional Development (Discovery Institute’s transportation center) yesterday hosted two events — a corridor tour and a dinner policy discussion — focused on the future of the rail and trail corridor on Seattle’s Eastside. As 2009 closed, the Port of Seattle and BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) reached an agreement that allows the 42-mile corridor running from Renton, Wash., in the south to Snohomish, Wash., in the north to remain intact. Under the end-of-year agreement, King County, Sound Transit, the City of Redmond, Puget Sound Energy, and the Cascade Water Alliance will purchase segments of the corridor. It has long been Cascadia Center’s view that Read More ›

The idea of better high-speed rail in the Northwest’s Cascadia Corridor came out of the ether and into the realm of reality last night in the nation’s capital and today in Florida with President Obama’s announcement of $590 million for the region’s high-speed rail development. Amidst the applause and subtle guffaws so typical at all State of the Union addresses, Washingtonians — especially those who have so long worked on the issue in this part of the U.S. — cheered. As the Seattle Times’ reported this morning, “The money represents the Northwest’s piece of an $8 billion stimulus package for high-speed rail, to be announced Thursday in Florida by President Obama.” Washington’s Governor Christine Gregoire, in a press release said: Read More ›

Photo Source: WSDOT We’re not sure what outgoing Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has on his holiday wish list, but continuing the progress being made to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep-bored tunnel is likely on there. Mayor Nickels, along with former King County Executive Ron Sims and Washington Governor Christine Gregoire, came together earlier this year in a decision that commits the State of Washington to tearing down the viaduct and replacing it with a deep-bored tunnel. The West Seattle Herald has an informative report about progress being made to prepare for the actual viaduct replacement work. Within the next few weeks, crews will finish relocating electrical lines from the viaduct to underground locations east of the structure Read More ›

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood was recently on the “Daily Show” with Jon Stewart. His appearance focused on the future of high-speed passenger rail in the United States and what areas are possibly on deck for the first set of investments from the Obama administration. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c <td style='padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;' colspan='2'Ray LaHood www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis Secretary LaHood didn’t mention the Cascadia Corridor in his “Daily Show” interview. But Cascadia Center of Discovery Institute, like many in the region from British Columbia down through Oregon, believes strongly that the Cascadia Corridor should be among the first to receive high-speed rail investments. Read More ›

Last week, KUOW’s Ross Reynolds show focused on the “Most Overlooked News of 2009.” Cascadia Center’s Bruce Agnew was asked to weigh in: I’m not sure there was a bigger news story this year than the (Alaskan Way) Viaduct (replacement) deep-bore tunnel. Certainly, it was the biggest issue in the mayor’s race. Yet there seemed to be precious little media attention to the difference between the deep-bore tunnel and the infamous Boston Big Dig, which was a much, much bigger, more complicated, multiple tunnel and bridge project. And later, there was no real media comparison to the tunnels completed here in Seattle, like the recently-completed Sound Transit Beacon Hill light rail tunnel, which came in on time and on budget. Read More ›

Over at Discovery News, my colleague (and Discovery Institute founder and president Bruce Chapman), has a good post about how deep-bore tunneling projects are making a run for the Outstanding Civil Engineering Award of 2009. An innovative deep-bore tunneling operation devised for Sound Transit in Seattle is one of five projects in competition for the Outstanding Civil Engineering Award of 2009, a contest conducted by the American Society of Civil Engineers. One of the Seattle project’s competitors is another tunnel in California. All in all, tunnel technology is being revolutionized these days, with extensive implications for urban design as well as transportation. You can read the original post here. It is also re-posted below. Engineering Contest Sees Tunnels in Urban Read More ›

Photo Source: The Seattle Times The Seattle Times’ Keith Ervin reports this morning about the myriad public and private sector parties that are coming together around different elements (and sections) of the 42-mile Eastside rails and trails corridor. This month — and perhaps as early as next Tuesday — the “…Port’s purchase of the rail corridor is scheduled to close….” King County, Redmond and a utility consortium are prepared to pay more than $43 million to buy land or easements along an abandoned Eastside rail line they hope to give new life as a rail and trail route in the future. The corridor is unique in the opportunity that it potentially offers citizens and businesses on Seattle’s Eastside — a Read More ›

In case you missed it, the Bellevue Reporter newspaper, which covers the city of Bellevue on Seattle’s Eastside, had a good article recently about an innovative proposal — supported by Cascadia Center — to make use of the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) corridor in a way that protects homes and businesses in Bellevue’s booming downtown core. The proposal, “Vision Line,” is the brainchild of Bellevue Council member Kevin Wallace. According to the article, he says it will match the ridership numbers projected by other ideas and do so “at a much lower cost.” The Vision Line aims to protect residential homes and downtown businesses. But it adds another option to a growing list of alternatives for Sound Transit’s East Read More ›