The Economist, the magazine that once said Seattle has North America’s worst transportation planning, observes that the debate over replacing the viaduct with an elevated freeway or tunnel is purely political. “Seattle’s tunnel has become a trip to political hell,” it notes.

Guess which replacement option a magazine with a global perspective considers a no-brainer? Here’s how it sets the latest scene:

It should be among the most beautiful cityscapes on the west coast: a mural of distant mountains, piers jutting into sun-flecked Elliott Bay and giant orange cranes plucking containers from freighters. Overlooking Seattle’s waterfront, however, is a noisy 1950s elevated highway in hideous gray concrete.