Contact your elected officials
CONTACT GOVERNOR, LEGISLATORS, AND CITY AND COUNTY OFFICIALS ON BEHALF OF THE "GREEN ALTERNATIVE" AND AGAINST THE SIX-LANE ALTERNATIVES, ESPECIALLY THE PACIFIC STREET INTERCHANGE.

Your e-mails, letters, and calls have begun to turn the SR-520 issue around but the crunch time is here. It was never more important to write to AND call the Governor, our state legislators and city and county officials.

In your communications with elected officials, include these important points:
(a) I oppose the 6-lane alternatives, especially the Pacific Street Interchange
(b) I oppose WSDOT's 4-lane alternative as too big, too destructive and too expensive
(c) I support the Green Alternative.

The Green Alternative has the following features:

(1) a four-lane floating bridge that accommodates more traffic (lanes and shoulders wider than currently, but not as wide as WSDOT proposes);
(2) five or six lanes over Portage Bay--three HOV, one of the three being reversible to the I-5 express lanes downtown;
(3) safety shoulders that are intermittent, and thus cast less shadow;
(4) bus and HOV priority on nearby streets and ramps;
(5) ramps in the Arboretum closed permanently;
(6) no widening of Montlake Blvd., Pacific St., 25th NE,, or Sand Point Way;
(7) keep the HOV lane on Pacific and the bus "flyer" stops on SR-520.

Although the Green Alternative emphasizes HOV lanes on the Portage Bay Bridge to get buses up to I-5 (judged by Metro to be just as good for buses as the expensive and destructive construction of new HOV lanes on the floating bridge).

Our public interest coalition has chosen not to take a final position on whether to add two HOV lanes or just one and make it reversible, so we welcome your ideas and encourage you to advocate what you think best in your communications with elected officials. Having just one reversible lane cannot help buses eastbound in the morning or westbound in the afternoon, because the express lanes aren't two-way. Whether five or six lanes, our proposal for the Portage Bay Bridge is not as wide as the eight lanes on WSDOT's "four-lane" floating bridge alternative because our lanes and shoulders would be narrower.

PLEASE SEND YOUR VIEWS NOW TO THE FOLLOWING ELECTED OFFICIALS:

[Note: Public officials pay more attention to messages that are addressed to them personally, and less attention to messages in which they are one of many addressees. Also, please use your own words; do not forward this message as a part of your own. You can leave voice mails after hours; if you write, try also to phone. And be polite!!]

Gov. Christine Gregoire:
c/o Tom Fitzsimmons, tom.fitzsimmons@gov.wa.gov 360/902-4112; and
c/o Jennifer Ziegler, jennifer.ziegler@gov.wa.gov, (360) 902-4111. Or by U.S. mail, address it to the Governor at: Office of the Governor, P.O. Box 40002, Olympia, WA 98504-0002.

Listed below are the Seattle legislative districts that immediately encompass the SR520 project. "A full list and contact information for all legislators (and of city, county, and federal officials) is at the League of Women Voters web site by clicking on “They Represent You."

The U.S. mail address for the state legislators is PO Box 40600, Olympia, WA 98504-0600.

43rd District
Sen. Ed Murray, murray.edward@leg.wa.gov (206) 720-3074
Rep. Frank Chopp, chopp.frank@leg.wa.gov (206) 729-3223
Rep.-elect Jamie Pedersen, jamiep@prestongates.com

46th District
Sen. Ken Jacobsen, jacobsen.ken@leg.wa.gov (206) 515-0750
Rep. Jim McIntire, mcintire.jim@leg.wa.gov (206) 368-4489
Rep. Phyllis Kenney, kenney.phyllis@leg.wa.gov (206) 368-4491

Mayor Greg Nickels, c/o Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis, tim.ceis@seattle.gov 684-4000
600 Fourth Ave., 7th floor, ,P.O. Box 94726
Seattle, WA 98124-4726

Seattle City Council
600 Fourth Avenue, 2nd floor, P.O. Box 34025, Seattle, WA 98124-4025
sally.clark@seattle.gov 684-8802
richard.conlin@seattle.gov 684-8805
david.della@seattle.gov 684-8806
jan.drago@seattle.gov 684-8801
jean.godden@seattle.gov 684-8807
nick.licata@seattle.gov 684-8803
richard.mciver@seattle.gov 684-8800
tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov 684-8808
peter.steinbrueck@seattle.gov 684-8804

King County Executive Ron Sims
exec.sims@metrokc.gov, 296-4040
701 Fifth Ave. #3210, Seattle, WA 98104

King County Council
1200 King County Courthouse
516 3rd Ave. W116, Seattle 98104-2312

larry.gossett@metrokc.gov, 296-1002
bob.ferguson@metrokc.gov, 296-1001
larry.phillips@metrokc.gov, 296-1004
dow.constantine@metrokc.gov, 296-1008
julia.patterson@metrokc.gov, 296-1005