The biggest issue I have with this project isn't the chosen plan -- it's that Seattle waited 20+ years to take action. The 2001 Nisqually quake certainly damaged the 99 bridge, but it was already in a state of constant repair prior to that point. Before then, initiative after initiative was put on the ballot as Seattleites would constantly register their preferences for how to deal with the 99/waterfront area.

There have been lots of politics involved over those 20+ years, and if Seattle is really bad at something, it's politics. The project, as poorly planned and estimated as it has been, is actually better than the historic alternative -- doing nothing at all.