WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Rolling Viaduct slowdowns for commercial filming

Tonight (Wednesday), after the peak of evening commute, you might want to avoid The Viaduct. WSDOT explains why:

Drivers who use State Route 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct to get through downtown Seattle should expect up to thirty-minute delays on Wednesday evening, July 12.

Officers from the Seattle Police Department will perform intermittent rolling slowdowns on both directions of SR 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. The rolling slowdowns will allow crews to safely film a commercial.

Northbound SR 99 traffic will gradually slow to 10 mph starting near South Royal Brougham Way. Southbound SR 99 traffic will slow down near Western Avenue. Pilot cars will lead the slowed traffic across the viaduct until the roadway is clear, then allow traffic to accelerate back to highway speeds.

10 Replies to "WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Rolling Viaduct slowdowns for commercial filming"

  • DirkDigs July 12, 2017 (8:15 am)

    A commercial for what? How horrific the traffic is in this city?

  • KatherineL July 12, 2017 (9:02 am)

    Why are people allowed to take over public throughways to shoot commercials? Does the city get some recompense? How much? How do they decide how much the owners’ (us) inconvenience is worth? Where does it go? 

    • WSB July 12, 2017 (9:09 am)

      Yes, there are permit fees. As there are for other street uses, including parades, festivals … Here are some examples.
      https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/stuse_permitlist.htm

    • AMD July 12, 2017 (9:26 am)

      Not to mention the people working on the commercial are making good wages and put that money back into the local economy.
      The whole picture is considered; creating jobs and boosting the economy are what’s balanced against the “inconvenience” of slowing down for two hours on a Wednesday after rush hour.
      Fees go into the city’s coffers, but the money spent at local establishments goes to the business owners.  

  • Marc July 12, 2017 (9:44 am)

    This is ridiculous.  Traffic is bad enough without deliberately blocking it for the benefit of what I can only assume is a car company.  At the very least this could have been done on a weekend, much less during rush hour.

  • artsea July 12, 2017 (11:26 am)

    A lot of cities offer incentives for movie companies to go to those places to shoot their movies.  The city and businesses benefit ($$) quite a bit, even though there maybe some inconvenience to the citizens.  In recent years, a lot of movie business has been encouraged ($$) to shift production north to Canada, and Canada is happy to have it.

  • Azimuth July 12, 2017 (12:53 pm)

    When they permanently shut it down if possible the city should look to maximize revenue opportunities for a few weeks before tearing it down.

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