‘The viaduct is clear’: Highway 99 closure begins, 2 hours later than planned

(WSDOT photo via Twitter)

12:21 AM: While the Columbia Street onramp closure happened just before 10 pm as planned, the process of fully closing the Alaskan Way Viaduct took two more hours because of an impromptu farewell party. Guardian One recorded this unique view of people driving, dancing, walking, waving, and more:

Though an officially “goodbye, Viaduct/hello, Tunnel” event is planned in three weeks, those people decided to say farewell on their own terms. Finally, just after midnight, WSDOT tweeted that “the viaduct is clear and the #Realign99 closure is officially underway!” So Highway 99 is now closed for ~3 weeks between the West Seattle Bridge and the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel. Much more coverage to come, starting later today.

8 AM: Uneventful night since then. Reminder that our traffic-cam page is here (we’ll be adding and subtracting a few this weekend, but they already have the biggies for West Seattle in/out flow). And here’s a “live” look at the eastbound bridge:

14 Replies to "'The viaduct is clear': Highway 99 closure begins, 2 hours later than planned"

  • Lisa January 12, 2019 (7:05 am)

    Yay, Seattleites! We’ve still got some weird and wild left in us! I thought it disappeared with all that tech money!

    • Mike January 12, 2019 (7:57 am)

      All the tech money from the mid 80s when Microsoft went public, biotech money, or all the tech money from Boeing’s WWII efforts?

    • Fred January 12, 2019 (8:28 am)

      lol true. there is still some, tech cant kill that

  • Ajs January 12, 2019 (8:21 am)

    The sound on our video of the night it closed…theres no sound

    • WSB January 12, 2019 (8:32 am)

      Yes, it’s silent. Can’t quite capture audio from that far up!

      • TechBro January 12, 2019 (10:37 am)

        You can but it’s just rotor noise.

  • Creighton January 12, 2019 (10:30 am)

    That was nice! Glad to see police and services letting the good times happen. 

  • MikeRussellFoto January 12, 2019 (11:44 am)

    Here is some footage from the party on the viaduct, a little after 10pm last night.

  • Mitch January 12, 2019 (1:42 pm)

    I was there last night and my face still hurts from smiling for 2 hours straight. People were singing, dancing, playing instruments, dressed in costumes, honking in unison, hugging, laughing, throwing glitter around, picnicking,  passing around food, joints and beer, motorcycles racing up and down the lower level, and  people doing other crazy stuff, like walking or doing handstands on the guardrails. The cops looked totally exasperated. Which was also fun. Best public celebration I’ve ever been to in Seattle. And, miraculously, no injuries. 

  • Dunno January 12, 2019 (5:08 pm)

    People walking on it right now!  There is a growing swell of resentment about the back filling of the Battery Street Tunnel.   Would cost 10-20 million to retro fit for earthquake, instead of a billion dollars today to build it as it is today.   The uses of it are endless, conencting waterfront and Pike Place markets to Seattle Center and South Lake Union, but no,  it will be used as a dumpster!!

  • Gary A. Zablocki January 13, 2019 (11:18 pm)

    “Viaduct closes 2 years later than planned ” would be a more accurate headline

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