Q: If China can build a 20-mile-long Donghai Bridge, possibly the longest sea-crossing structure in the world, across an open channel near Shanghai, in four years, for about US$1.2 billion, and the Swiss can bore 35-mile-long twin tunnels, possibly the world's longest overland tunnel, for a high-speed Gotthard Base Tunnel rail link under the Alps between Zurich and Milan, for what they originally estimated at US$6.6 billion, why can't we build a new Highway 520 bridge across Lake Washington for under about $4 billion, or a new tunneled Alaskan Way Viaduct cheaper than the $4.6 billion the state estimated it would cost for a new six-lane tunnel?

It seems others are able to build big, fast, and inexpensively, says Sebastian Cruz of Bellevue.

Compared to the Donghai Bridge, which was completed two years ago, a new Highway 520 floating-pontoon bridge between Seattle and the Eastside would be nearly 15 times shorter. Yet, Cruz laments it could take nearly three times as long to build, and cost about three times more.

"Even when you consider that a new interchange is included in that, it still does not even come close to approaching the scale of the Donghai Bridge," he said. "What accounts for such a staggering difference?"

A: While it's tempting to draw comparisons, some of the biggest differences between projects are in location and structure type, says Kimberly Farley, the state Department of Transportation's Alaskan Way Viaduct and seawall replacement program manager.

The Alaskan Way Viaduct and Highway 520 Bridge are major public works projects that also have to consider timing, and political and economic climate.

Farley says the Donghai Bridge is mostly short spans on piers placed in shallow water, and that's quite different from Highway 520 bridge pontoons floating in Lake Washington's several-hundred-foot-depth.

The Gotthard Base Tunnel is a narrow rail tunnel bored through mountain rock and it's not designed to handle a six-lane road like the tunnel that's been proposed as a replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Not surprisingly, says Farley, there are also a number of risks associated with constructing a tunnel in the fill soil on the Seattle waterfront, which increases the cost per lane mile. And both the Highway 520 Bridge and Alaskan Way Viaduct replacements would be in dense urban areas that require extensive mitigation to offset construction disruptions.

Then, too, there's timing. Even the Swiss project is well underway, while rising material costs would significantly increase the final price tags of the Seattle projects, which are still on the drawing board, said Farley. The costs of construction materials have been rising faster than inflation, and that raises the costs of public and private projects across this country. Who knows when the market for construction commodities will stabilize?

"Recently," she said, "there has been greater demand for construction materials from growing economies in Asia, and the industry has been unable to keep up."

Farley said cost estimates for the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Highway 520 projects are in future-year dollars, meaning what they will cost the year construction actually takes place. "This includes predictions by experts about inflation rates and construction material and labor costs," she said.

"We benefit from environmental protections in this country, but they, too, affect cost and schedule," she said. Overseas projects may have less of an emphasis on environmental review and public participation in project development.

And don't forget, labor costs in China are lower. With construction projects, said Farley, labor typically consumes about 70 percent of total project cost.

Q: Getting around in Seattle's Cascade neighborhood, just south of South Lake Union, has been a bit more of a challenge over the past several months because of the boom in construction projects and temporary street closures, increased growth and activity in the area, and preparations for the South Lake Union streetcar.

The way Doug Sharp sees it, Republican, Harrison, Thomas and John streets in the neighborhood have become de facto east-west crossings because Mercer Street and Denny Way are often full of traffic. The four streets cross Westlake Avenue North, which is now a two-way street, and also Terry Avenue North, just west of Westlake, and soon to be part of the 1.3-mile South Lake Union streetcar route between downtown and the lake, and also Fairview Avenue North, close to the streetcars' maintenance base.

Around Westlake and in the Cascade neighborhood, fencing around construction sites and large construction trucks double- parked have made for unsafe vehicle and pedestrian conditions, says Sharp, a Phinney Ridge resident whose travels regularly take him into the Cascade neighborhood. He figures folks who drive in Cascade may need a crash course on rights-of-way and trolleys. Any advice?

He also wants to know if there's any chance the city will restripe Republican, Harrison, Thomas and John streets right at Fairview and add traffic signs at those intersections so that its easier for traffic to know how to maneuver.

A: It's been more than a half-century since a streetcar has operated north of downtown, in the Denny Triangle and South Lake Union areas. The South Lake Union streetcar is poised to start test runs, before starting service in December.

Before that, however, Seattle's transportation department plans to conduct an education campaign — door-to-door contact with area businesses and residents, information posted in public places, and a neighborhood mailing — to prepare the public.

The streetcars will be on tracks, of course, and run in traffic lane. They'll also be stopping in traffic for passengers. "It's just like any other vehicle," said Josh Stepherson, the transportation department's streetcar liaison. "Even though they're on rails, streetcars don't necessarily get priority over vehicles. They are equal."

Transportation department spokeswoman Marybeth Turner says there are a few simple rules to keep in mind along the streetcar route:
• Streetcars are rather quiet, so it makes sense to stay alert and always stop, look and listen for streetcars before crossing its tracks.
• Maintain a safe distance away from streetcars.
• Don't bicycle, walk, park or play on tracks.
• Motorcycles and bikes should cross tracks at a 90-degree angle.
• When parking, vehicles must be in a designated parking area, between the solid white line and curb. The designated area is about eight feet wide, so vehicles should have no trouble parking out of the path of streetcars. Signs are posted, and vehicles that block the streetcar are subject to being ticketed and towed.

The city's street-use and traffic management offices approve permits for any construction that takes place on public streets, "so that's how we're able to manage the construction," said Turner.

She also says the department will look at the alignment of the streets crossing Fairview at those intersections.

Q: "Whatever happened to the mayor's effort to improve Seattle streets?" asked Seattle resident Wes Byers. His is a reference to Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels' longstanding pledge to make the city's streets a City Hall priority.

Byers has been eyeing street surfaces and repaving projects around town. His conclusion is that a number of streets are rougher than they ought to be, and getting worse as a result of the many new construction projects.

Denny Way looks pretty decent to him. But Byers says he's been watching and waiting for improvements downtown along Second Avenue between Denny Way and Jackson Street, and Fourth Avenue between Denny Way and Yesler Way, and even North 105th Street from Greenwood Avenue North to North Northgate Way.

"I drive these streets frequently when going to the International District or out to Northgate Mall," he said. "What can we expect?"

A: As a result of a $365 million levy approved by voters last November for transportation maintenance and improvements, Seattle's Department of Transportation has a full schedule of paving projects, according to transportation department spokeswoman Marybeth Turner.

There's been resurfacing work this year on Denny Way, Dexter Avenue North and Mercer Street north of the downtown core, as well as on Stone Way North at the north end of Lake Union, and several streets in the South Lake Union area. The city also tackled heavily traveled arterials in the University District and in West Seattle, she said.

Paving projects scheduled for next year include parts of Boren Avenue, Madison Street, Fifth Avenue through downtown to Denny Way, Elliott Avenue West and First Avenue South.

As it stands now, paving work on Second and Fourth is scheduled about three years from now, but work could start sooner, she said, depending on the future of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Paving for other downtown streets also is scheduled then.

If you'd like to check out the transportation department's current paving schedule, it's posted online at www.seattle.gov/transportation/streetmaintenance.htm#btg.

Q: Downtown Seattle resident Albert Berger is the first to question this reporter about recent closure of the Broad Street exit from the southbound lanes of Aurora Avenue North. It appears, he says, that there's construction equipment in the ramp blocking the exit. What gives?

A: A private contractor has been issued a street-use permit from Seattle's transportation department for major utility work resulting in the closure of the Broad Street exit, says transportation department spokeswoman Marybeth Turner. It's part of a nearby development, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation building near Seattle Center. Traffic is being diverted to the Denny Way exit.

The transportation department required the contractor to open the Broad Street ramp for detouring traffic when the Alaskan Way Viaduct was closed for a recent weekend inspection.

According to the current schedule, the contractor is supposed to finish the work in mid-January.

Q: A staffer in the Seattle Times' newsroom recently received this e-mail from a friend:

"A 36-year-old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car. A resident of Kilgore, Texas, she was traveling between Gladewater and Kilgore . It was raining, though not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydroplane and literally flew through the air. She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence.

"She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred. The patrolman said this warning should be listed on the driver's seat sunvisor: Never use the cruise control when the pavement is wet or icy, along with the airbag warning. Some vehicles (like the Toyota Sienna Limited XLE) will not allow you to set the cruise control when the windshield wipers are on."
How much truth is there to this?

A: Well, Sgt. Kristene O'Shannon in the Washington State Patrol's Olympia office said she'd been unable to locate any information that a vehicle will accelerate when hydroplaning due to the cruise control. But she found plenty of (internet) sites that explain that because the vehicle is at a constant speed on cruise control, when it drives across a body of water or ice there is an increased chance of hydroplaning.

O'Shannon points out that when a vehicle starts to hydroplane, most drivers instinctively put on the brake, which can cause them to lose control of the vehicle.
"All the Web sites I visited recommended not using cruise control in inclement weather," said O'Shannon. "The use of cruise control also will affect the driver's reaction time. Drivers will be slower to react to a situation if they do not already have their foot on the gas or brake."

O'Shannon says she tracked some of her information online by typing in "use of cruise control in inclement weather".

Bob Calkins, also with the State Patrol in Olympia, suspects part of that hydroplaning tale could be another case of Internet hoax, forwarded from person to person. He's especially suspicious of the "flew through the air" part. But then, who knows?

By the way, a local Toyota service technician says it is possible to set the cruise control on their vehicles, even when the windshield wipers are on.

Online urban legend or no, something in that e-mail may be worth noting.

Q: Stan Pasin of Issaquah says he's noticed worrisome wear to lanes, particularly the middle ones, in Interstate 90 in both directions between the Eastgate area in Bellevue and the far side of North Bend. That's a stretch of highway he's familiar with, and he figures tires are the culprit, because of the deep grooves in the pavement.

"It's bad enough to drive this section of roadway when it's dry, but now that we are going into the rainy season those grooves will be filled with water and drivers will be hydroplaning as they drive this stretch of roadway," he said.

Could studded tires be responsible for the extreme wear? Pasin suspects that's the problem. "But my question is," he said: "When will the grooves be filled?"

A: No time soon, it appears. The state transportation department knows what you're talking about. But department engineer Chris Johnson says the state doesn't figure it's bad enough to require immediate repairs. And yes, says Johnson, much of the wear is probably from studded tires, which are legal in this state from Nov. 1 to March 31.

No paving work is scheduled for that stretch of freeway for the next several years. Johnson said the transportation department does it's best to keep routine tabs on nearly 18,000 lane miles of pavement across the state. Each fall, department workers travel every mile of every highway in the state to check pavement conditions, he said. Then the state projects how soon road work should be done.

By the state's timetable, groovy along that stretch is not quite groovy enough.

Q: Could there really be a reason there's a traffic signal at Boren Avenue and Spring Street? After all, Seattle resident Pete Schmitt points out, east-west traffic on Spring Street, in the heart of Seattle's First Hill, can't cross Boren at that intersection anyway because there is a barrier in the middle of the street. "At most," says he, "one would
expect a pedestrian-controlled walk light."

A: That particular signal is a pedestrian-controlled light, only activated when someone wishing to cross the street presses the pedestrian pushbutton, says Wayne Wentz, the Seattle transportation department's traffic management director. There are walk/don't walk indicators on that signal.

The signal was installed because of the number of pedestrians crossing the street to reach a hospital right down the street. The concrete barrier in Boren Avenue was placed there long before the pedestrian signal was installed.

Since the hospital, on the west side of Boren, is a high-traffic generator, "we did not want to encourage through traffic on Spring Street, which would then lead into the mostly-residential area on Spring," east of Boren, said transportation department spokeswoman Marybeth Turner.

Q: Anyone who's traveled Interstate 90 across Mercer Island in recent weeks quite likely has noticed road work in progress along the north side of the freeway as well as right in the middle, between traffic lanes east and west.
Issaquah resident Al Zurawski, who travels that road at least twice a day, has noticed, too, and is curious about what's going on.

A: What's currently going on is a new westbound carpool ramp under construction to connect to a main Mercer Island street that crosses over the freeway; and an extended westbound carpool lane, and improved access to I-90 carpool lanes at Bellevue Way.

The work is the first phase of a state Department of Transportation and Sound Transit project, with help from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration.

The westbound HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lane is being extended in the outer roadway to 80th Avenue Southeast on Mercer Island. While the freeway widening work is on one shoulder, the new HOV lane will actually be on the other side. Lanes will be shifted when the widening is finished, scheduled in early 2009.

Retaining walls along the right shoulder of westbound I-90 are nearly complete. This month and into next, workers are scheduled to be paving the widening sections along the right shoulder. Work started at East Mercer Way and is moving west.

You're seeing crews continue to put up temporary construction scaffolding to build the new westbound HOV exit ramp at 80th Avenue Southeast.

Transportation department spokeswoman Laura Johnson says the goal is to improve speed and access for buses, carpoolers and vanpoolers. The direct-access ramps will allow high-occupancy vehicles to enter and exit the freeway directly from the HOV lanes.

The transportation department has a Web site that describes the project and posts progress reports, www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I90/TwoWayTransit, and so does Sound Transit, at www.soundtransit.org/x1282.xml.

Q: Are buses road hogs? Ballard resident Matt Lehman says his regular commutes take him back and forth along Aurora Avenue North and across the Aurora Bridge, and he's often noticed Metro buses crossing the bridge straddled the line separating the middle and curb lanes, with flashers flashing.

He says he's observed it more often in northbound traffic than in southbound. "Due to the lack of a highway divider between the north and south lanes on the bridge, I usually try to move into the middle lane while crossing the bridge.

"This is not always possible if buses are on the bridge at the same time," he said. But not all buses are guilty of straddling. On a recent morning, he observed an articulated bus traveling south in the curb lane, and it managed to stay inside the lane.

By straddling the lane, aren't buses impeding traffic? And isn't that illegal?

"I would think the right lane has to be of sufficient width to accomodate any legal vehicle that may travel that roadway."

A: Roadhogs, some of those buses may be. But not without good reason, says Mike Lemeshko, who heads Metro Transit's safety unit. The Aurora Bridge's lane width is a problem. It's a little more than a foot narrower than standard lanes.

Lemeshko says many bus drivers are uncomfortable driving in the curb lane northbound, because it is so narrow and the bus barely fits the width of the lane. "When you add in the mirrors on both sides, the bus often overhangs into the next lane to the left and over the jersey barrier on the right," he said.

Metro's trainers, who instruct new bus drivers and offer refresher courses for experienced ones, do not tell drivers to use both lanes on the Aurora Bridge, but trainers concede that driving skills need to be near perfect to stay solely in the curb lane.

Metro drivers have never been cited by police for driving in two lanes across the bridge, even though a city law spells out that vehicles are to be driven "as nearly as practicable" entirely within a single lane.

Sometimes, it's just not practicable to fit the bus into that one lane, said Lemeshko. "However, it is the operator's responsibility to obey all traffic laws as much as practical, and not place other road users at risk."

Q: The state's transportation department has been taking a closer look, with good reason, at the use of cable barriers to reduce highway traffic crossover accidents. The state claims those cable barriers have been effective in many cases in reducing the severity of accidents. But cable barriers also have a fair share of skeptics.

"My question is this," said David Kietzke of West Seattle: "Has the (transportation department) done any real extensive studies on the use of vegetation in the median strip to reduce crossover accidents?

"I believe a good hedge row or similar barrier of bushes, plants, trees and other vegetation might make an effective barrier to crossover accidents," he said. He proposes the state investigate the best mix of vegetation for varying separation distances between lanes.

Perhaps, he added, the state may find that combined use of cable barriers and vegetation works best.

A: "We have heard from several drivers who suggest that we plant shrubs and trees in freeway medians to help prevent crossover collisions," said transportation department spokesman Travis Phelps. "Unfortunately, this approach would increase the risk for drivers and their passengers. Most shrubs simply give way to the force of a fast-moving vehicle, and trees act like large, rigid posts, usually resulting in serious injury or death when they are hit by a vehicle."

The state wants to prevent wrapping vehicles around trees. Phelps said the department's aim is to keep drivers on the freeway and prevent crossover collisions, yet protect drivers who do leave the freeway. "While some barrier systems are more forgiving than others," he said, "all are designed to provide vehicles leaving the freeway with a smooth surface to strike."

The wider surface helps to protect drivers by more evenly distributing and dissipating the force of a collision across the vehicle striking it, he said. On the other hand, when a vehicle strikes a tree, the force of the collision is focused at the relatively small area of the vehicle making contact with the tree, and that tends to crush that section of the vehicle inward, too frequently causing the vehicle to wrap itself around the tree.

Also, said Phelps, barriers can better withstand the force of a fast-moving vehicle.

The state prefers guardrails, concrete barriers, cable median barriers and extra-wide medians. "While no system can protect every driver in every situation on our freeways, these engineered systems offer far more effective protection than trees and shrubs," said Phelps.

Q: There could come a time when daytime running lights are required by law on all vehicles in this country. It's already the law in Canada. Such a law here might take care of David Arntuffus's concern.

"Why doesn't the DOT (state Department of Transportation) require at least running lights in the Interstate 90 tunnels?" asked Arntuffus, of Shoreline. "If you've ever seen a dark car speeding with lights off and making unsignaled lane changes in the tunnels, you'll know why this is a concern."

A: Depending on the light of day outside those tunnels, it could well appear pretty dark inside, observed reader Edwin Tanaka of Magnolia. Headlights or daytime running lights might well improve visibility for traffic inside tunnels.

But Darrel Whyte, a state transportation department special projects engineer, points out that there are lights installed inside I-90's Mount Baker and Mercer Island tunnels, and they're there for visibility. "The I-90 tunnels have a very good safety record that is comparable with other freeways in the state," he said.

State law does, however, require headlight use when there is less than 1,000 feet of clear visibility on a roadway, and that could be because of rain, fog, snow, darkness, or a dark tunnel.

Many new vehicles now come equipped with daytime running lights that automatically turn on when the ignition is turned on. A bill proposing running lights as a standard feature on all new vehicles in the U.S. has come up, but it's not a law yet.

Do you think there ought to be a law?

Q: West Seattle resident Steven Sherotsky is one of the many alternative commuters who bicycle from his part of town to downtown Seattle rather frequently. Not long ago, he was headed north on East Marginal Way South and stopped in the bicycle lane for a red light at South Hanford Street, then tailgated through the intersection by cars eager to pass loaded trucks in line at the stoplight. And that wasn't the first time that had happened, he said.

This time he was being tailgated by a cab. It was before 8 a.m. And he was in a bicycle lane sandwiched between a northbound through lane and a right-turn-only lane to South Hanford.

What's a byclist to do? "I believe this intersection deserves immediate attention," he said. As much as he'd like to see violators cited and fined as a deterrent, he'd much rather see some kind of barrier installed beyond the intersection for a short distance to divide bicycle and vehicle lanes to protect cyclists.

He says he's tried reporting the problem to police, but was told an officer would have to witness the tailgating. He could report that tailgating incident to the cab company, but would that keep other drivers from doing the same thing? Any suggestions?

A: After taking a look at the intersection, Seattle's Department of Transportation says markings on the roadway there are faded and need to be reapplied. That includes the marked crosswalks, stop lines and the lines on the pavement for the turn lane.

Wayne Wentz, the transportation department's traffic management director, says that will be done. Also, the department plans to install an overhead "Right Turn Only" sign in the turn lane for northbound traffic to South Hanford Street.

"These improvements should be complete before the end of the year," he said. But the department isn't inclined to install traffic barriers there, he said, for fear of creating an obstacle in the roadway that vehicles and bicyclists would need to maneuver around.