With landslide vote, project to replace Seattle’s crumbling seawall moves ahead

The city of Seattle is set to name a general contractor Friday to oversee the replacement of Seattle’s crumbling downtown seawall, a project that can now move forward without the cloud of uncertainty that hung over the plans before Tuesday’s election.
That’s because voters in Seattleoverwhelmingly approved a $290 million bond measure to fund the project.
Leading up to Tuesday’s general election tally, there was widespread agreement among business and political leaders in Seattle that the seawall is decrepit and has to be fixed. But city officials and proponents of replacement worried that the seawall measure might fail, partly due to voter fatigue over higher-profile issues such as the presidential race and several statewide issues including gay marriage and marijuana legalization.
But it turns out there was nothing to worry about. An overwhelming majority – 77 percent – voted to approve the measure. The seawall levy vote was closely watched by six companies involved in four bids to play a major role in construction of the new seawall along Seattle’s central waterfront — a several-block section between South Washington and Virginia streets that includes the most deteriorated sections of the seawall. Some parts of the seawall date back to the early 1900s.
The city is continuing interviews with the finalists — all of whom already have a presence in Seattle, The city is slated to pick a general contractor Friday among the finalists:
— Colorado-based Guy F. Atkinson Construction LLC.
— Portland-based Hoffman Construction Co.
— A joint venture of Minneapolis-based Mortenson Construction and Seattle-based Manson Construction Co.
– A joint venture of Canada-based PCL and Alameda, Calif.-based Stacy and Witbeck Inc.
A draft report on the project’s potential environmental impact is due to be released to the public Nov. 13. Construction is set to start next fall.