That’s a new video made public today by WSDOT, which says demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct is now two-thirds complete. The video tells what WSDOT calls the “behind-the-scenes” story as the demolition work moves south to Pioneer Square. The full update on what’s happening next, and where, is here.
The waterfront looks so much better without the viaduct. I walked the waterfront last weekend and it was amazing how quiet it was down there. I am looking forward to seeing the transformation in about 4 years.
It is amazing to watch the operators of these machines, especially the person on the top that appears to only have a few feet on each side of him. I truly believe construction workers like this are talented and safety oriented individuals. I hope they are paid for what they are worth!
Do you know when the west seattle buses will stop taking the current pioneer square routes to west seattle? It has been brutal! It’s been taking the 120, C, and 21x buses so long to get through pioneer square. For my 4pm commute, it seems to be taking the buses 20-30 minutes to travel a mile or so thru pioneer square to 99 :(
Yes! When will it end? Funny story; yesterday I missed the #56 @3rd & Virginia. I watched it pull away…sniff! So, instead of wait 15 minutes for the next bus i decided to walk to the last bus stop in Pioneer Square; just for fun and a little exercise. But, to my surprise and delight, i caught up to that 56 and passed it on foot as that poor bus sat helpless in all the traffic on first avenue. Ironically, i had to wait for about 5 minutes at that last stop for the bus to catch up to me! Happily i got that #56 bus ride home after all! 😉😎😉
I’ve done the same thing with the 21X, 55, and C several times, walking from 3rd & Columbia. It’s quite handy, especially if one is getting on at the south end of downtown anyway.
I would also like to know the future routing plan …in the meantime …submit a complaint to King County Metro! https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/contact-us.aspx
Future routing:
https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/depts/transportation/metro/programs-projects/alaskan-way-viaduct/interim-and-permanent-southend-pathways.pdf
Thanks, I’ve been looking for the routing for a while. What I don’t understand is why they didn’t just keep the realign99 routing.
As someone who works right at the new stop near King St, hopefully never?
Yes,tear down everything blocking my view, no matter how much it serves the public. After all, it is MY view.
Oh how I thought the Initiative 123 was absolutely genius. An elevated park, blocking the oh so precious view from the billionaires club. Oh well, at least landlords in that area will make a killing. From what I gather a two bedroom apartment at the Harbor Steps was over $5,000 a month last year.
Umm…it was taken down for seismic reasons.And everyone living along it had to pay a $10,000 tax in exchange for the improvements.
Uh, that bridge was a crazy safety hazard. Removing it wasn’t about views, it was about keeping people from getting killed in a quake. That park initiative was disconnected from the realities of seismic engineering and costs.
Meanwhile in Ballard, that bridge was built around the time Woodrow Wilson was asking congress to declare war on Germany. BACK IN 1917. Curiously selective on our safety.
The Ballard bridge isn’t a damaged double decker highway sitting on top of a sinking mud seawall. So yes, we are being selective about safety in the sense that we are prioritizing the most serious risks among many possible risks. That’s hardly hypocritical.
Seriously? Are you under the impression that the safety of bridges is about their “age”? I suggest talking to a soils engineer who can explain terms like “liquifiable soils” and “pilings on seismically incompetent material”. Ya’ know … facts and stuff.
I’m amazed that even now the delusion persists that removing the viaduct is about benefiting the wealthy. How does that happen? The willful ignoring of facts and truth – what’s up with that? This isn’t complicated. The viaduct was going to collapse in an earthquake. Just truth. And as we’re already seeing, the new waterfront access to downtown is much superior to the old Seneca St. exit. Yeah, we’re temporarily inconvenienced while the demolition happens … it will be done in a few weeks. But the commute is so much better. And yeah, the opened up, quiet waterfront will only get better.
People invent their own narrative that supports whatever they want to believe.
The viaduct was pathetic on so many levels. Its removal and the new tunnel is a huge improvement.
The waterfront is already thousands of times better, even though it’s still a construction zone. Getting rid of that monstrosity is a huge benefit for the city.
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