NEXT TUNNEL CLOSURE: Looking ahead beyond whatever the weather brings this week, the next Highway 99 tunnel maintenance closure is set for 10 pm next Friday to 8 am next Saturday (January 17-18) – northbound only this time.

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY: January 12, 2019, was the first day without the Alaskan Way Viaduct. As we noted very early that day, the last vehicles were cleared just after midnight.

(WSDOT photo, January 12, 2019)

“Realign 99” ensued; the tunnel opened late the night of February 3rd, a day and a hal after a gala dedication ceremony – and with a snow day looming.

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The time-lapse video is from WSDOT, as it announces that the four remaining columns of the Alaskan Way Viaduct are about to be demolished. But if you harbor Viaduct nostalgia, this might be even bigger news:

We received many requests for commemorative pieces of viaduct concrete. At long last we have the answer: Yes, you can have a piece.

Small pieces of concrete are available for free at the Waterfront Space at the corner of Western Avenue and Union Street. Friends of Waterfront Seattle runs the space to showcase plans for Seattle’s rebuilt waterfront. Here’s where and how to obtain a piece of viaduct history:

Friends of Waterfront Seattle
1400 Western Avenue (corner of Western Ave and Union Street)
Public hours: Wednesday – Sunday, noon – 5 p.m.

Looking ahead, construction is underway in the space where the viaduct once stood. The City of Seattle is building the two-way bus lanes on Columbia Street that will provide a connection for transit between Third Avenue and SR 99 south of downtown. South of Marion Street contractor crews are also mobilizing to begin early work on the new Alaskan Way surface street. Learn more about what’s to come by visiting Waterfront Seattle’s website or subscribing to their weekly construction email updates.

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(That’s about to change! WSB photo from August)

TUNNEL TOLLING IN 2 WEEKS: Saturday, November 9th, is now just two weeks away, and that’s the day WSDOT plans to start tolling the tunnel, nine months after it opened. Toll rates are here – extra charges if you don’t have a Good To Go! sticker pass and account, as explained here. There’s still time to get the sticker free by going here.

VIADUCT REMAINDERS: If you thought the Alaskan Way Viaduct demolition was complete – not so, explains WSDOT here. [corrected link]

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Just in from WSDOT, that video and this update:

Demolition crews made quick work removing the section of the Alaskan Way Viaduct above South Dearborn Street, one of the structure’s last remaining sections. As a result, the intersection of South Dearborn Street and First Avenue South will reopen Wednesday, Sept. 18 by 6 a.m. – much earlier than initially planned. By tomorrow morning First Avenue South will once again have two lanes in each direction and northbound Railroad Way South will also reopen. The video shows the work that took less than a week to complete.

What’s next?

Starting at 4 a.m. tomorrow morning, Alaskan Way will be narrowed to one lane in each direction near Marion Street so demolition teams can take down the one remaining span of viaduct along Seattle’s waterfront.

Later this week, crews will stripe a bus-only lane on northbound SR 99 between South Spokane Street and South Dearborn Street. This lane existed during SR 99 tunnel construction and helps ensure reliable trips for King County Metro buses carrying about 30,000 passengers a day into downtown. The bus lane is scheduled to be in place by Sunday, Sept. 22 but the work is weather dependent. King County Metro’s northbound buses will remain on temporary reroute until start of service on Sunday, Sept. 22.

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Just back from a media briefing that was held steps away from that view of the section of Alaskan Way Viaduct that will be demolished starting Thursday. Also discussed: Getting around in south downtown.

That’s Heather Marx, SDOT’s downtown mobility director. She says Alaskan Way will be temporarily opened to two lanes each way for the Dearborn demo period, Thursday through September 21st. You’ll still be able to get off northbound 99 there, but since Dearborn will be closed, you’ll have to take Alaskan – your first opportunity to turn into downtown will be Alaskan to King Street. 1st Avenue will remain open during the demolition but will be narrowed in the Dearborn vicinity to one lane each way.

That’s Bill Bryant of Metro. He reiterated that NB buses will be temporarily rerouted during the Dearborn closure. He and Marx (a West Seattleite who rides the bus) stressed the importance of keeping up on announced bus stop moves. We asked Bryant about early reviews on the new SB reroutes that started Monday; he said the first day looked good (Marx said her 21X ride went well) but it’s only one day, so they’ll be watching closely for the next few weeks.

As for the Viaduct – WSDOT before-and-almost-after photos above – demolition is now 92 percent complete. Teardown is expected to be over by early October, with cleanup continuing the rest of the month.

P.S. – TUNNEL CLOSURES: Also coming up this weekend, both directions of the Highway 99 tunnel will be closed 10 pm Friday to 8 am Saturday; the NB direction will close again 10 pm Saturday, reopening by 8 am Sunday.

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If you missed the mentions in Monday’s tunnel-toll-date announcement and Thursday’s bus-reroute announcement … here’s another full-on reminder from WSDOT: The section of Alaskan Way Viaduct still straddling Dearborn – right where downtown-bound vehicles now exit 99 – is two weeks away from demolition:

As crews removed the viaduct along Alaskan Way this spring and summer, two small sections were left standing at South Dearborn Street. WSDOT and our contractor Kiewit left these two sections in place in order to coordinate the timing of their removal with our partner agencies.

With demolition in its home stretch, we are ready to remove the viaduct over South Dearborn Street. On Thursday, Sept. 12, crews will close South Dearborn Street and narrow First Avenue South to two lanes on either side of the intersection to create a safe work zone. South Dearborn Street will be closed for up to ten days while crews remove the viaduct overhead.

We and our partner agencies are very aware of how critical First Avenue South and South Dearborn Street are for bus riders and drivers heading to and from SR 99 and points south and west of downtown. Some King County Metro buses will reroute while South Dearborn Street is closed and our contractor Kiewit will pull their work zone back from Alaskan Way so the street has its full four lanes open during this closure.

This closure will cause unavoidable disruptions to traffic and we ask drivers to make a plan for their trips: consider alternate routes or ways of getting around, including exiting SR 99 at Spokane Street, using transit or taking the King County Water Taxi. Next month will also bring demolition to the section of viaduct around Marion Street and changes for passengers arriving at Colman Dock. This construction is just one component of the #SeattleSqueeze as Seattle updates its transportation infrastructure to match the city’s mobility needs.

The temporary bus-reroute plan for this phase of demolition was included in Thursday’s announcement.

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The viaduct is shrinking along Seattle’s waterfront and the work zone is changing this week as the contractor Kiewit shifts their work zone. …

Alaskan Way in Pioneer Square: Yesler and King reopen, Jackson closes
Map showing traffic control changes on Alaskan WayCrews are removing the viaduct through Pioneer Square from both ends. See the map at right (click to enlarge). Here are traffic control changes to expect this week:

Today: South King Street reopens at Alaskan Way.
Tomorrow: Yesler Way reopens at Alaskan Way
Tomorrow: South Jackson Street closes at Alaskan Way.
Uniformed police officers will help direct traffic this week at key intersections during the evening commutes.

To reach Colman Dock: Vehicles can still enter the drive-on entrance at South Jackson Street by taking a left or right off Alaskan Way. Entering the holding area by driving straight west on South Jackson Street will be unavailable while viaduct demolition occurs overhead. Please allow extra time to reach your ferry as traffic congestion remains high on Alaskan Way.

People walking and biking: When South Jackson Street closes, your new east-west options between Alaskan Way and Pioneer Square will be South King Street and Yesler Way. South Dearborn Street and Columbia Street also remain open to bicycles and pedestrians.

Railroad Way South: This street will become northbound-only from South Dearborn Street, with northbound vehicles forced to take a right on South King Street. Vehicles can also turn onto southbound Railroad Way South from South King Street, but the southbound lane terminates mid-block at the 505 Western Avenue building parking garage.

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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.

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TOLLS DELAYED: WSDOT confirms what was first reported by citywide media earlier today – that the tunnel tolling, originally expected to start this summer, is now delayed until fall. The state is switching vendors for its tolling system and won’t be ready to go this summer as originally planned.

TRAFFIC ALERT: Last night, we reported that WSDOT said Alaskan Way Viaduct demolition is now at the midway point and moving southward. As part of that, lane closures on surface Alaskan Way just north of the NB 99 pre-tunnel exit might back things up, spokesperson Laura Newborn warns:

At 4 a.m. on Friday, June 14, crews preparing for viaduct demolition will reduce Alaskan Way to one lane in each direction between South King and South Dearborn streets. This lane reduction will last more than a month. Narrowing the roadway is the only way for crews to safely prepare and demolish this section of viaduct. Because this section of Alaskan Way is near the SR 99 northbound off-ramp at South Dearborn, travelers may encounter backups on the northbound off-ramp and, potentially, the northbound mainline entering the tunnel.

We expect the heaviest congestion will occur during peak travel periods, special events and on weekends, when ferry traffic increases and cruise ships are in town. Travelers approaching downtown from the south should plan ahead for longer drive times and consider alternate routes or ways of getting around, including transit and the King County Water Taxi.

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That’s a new time-lapse video from WSDOT, which says Alaskan Way Viaduct demolition is halfway done, four months after the Highway 99 tunnel opened:

Demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct is now at the halfway mark and crews remain on track to finish the bulk of demolition later this summer. The Seneca street ramp has almost disappeared. Within the next two weeks, WSDOT’s contractor will add a new location to demolition – moving south from King Street toward Pioneer Square.

As always, you can follow demolition news on the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program website as well as our demolition tracker.

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WSDOT says demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct is 30 percent complete, and on schedule. With that news, they published the video above, a new time-lapse of a section of the demolition. Coincidentally, just before that landed in the WSB inbox, we returned from an errand downtown that took us along waterfront Alaskan Way past the demolition zone for the first time, and we have to say, regardless of your feelings about the old double-decker highway, the teardown zone is quite a sight. WSDOT’s Laura Newborn adds this: “In case you are wondering, a portion of the viaduct across from the ferry dock will remain standing until summer to keep the Marion Street pedestrian bridge to-and-from Colman Dock operational. The contractor is currently building a temporary pedestrian bridge along Columbia Street to replace the Marion Street bridge. This summer, the new Columbia Street bridge will connect to a new portion of Colman Dock. After that happens, demolition crews will remove the remaining section of viaduct near Marion Street.”

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That ramp you used to take from central downtown onto SB Highway 99? Gone. The new time-lapse video above, from WSDOT, shows the demolition of the Columbia Street ramp. WSDOT made it public while announcing another demolition milestone: Its demolition contractor Kiewit is starting work on the double-decker Viaduct itself, as detailed here. This comes exactly two months after the Viaduct’s closure, and five weeks after the Highway 99 tunnel’s opening.

(Photo from last week, by Jim Spraker)

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The next major piece of the puzzle in the viaduct-to-tunnel transition will be in place by tomorrow morning – the new exit ramp from northbound Highway 99 into the south end of downtown will be open by tomorrow morning, as just announced by WSDOT:

The end of the holiday weekend brings the start of a new way for drivers and bus riders to get to downtown Seattle from northbound State Route 99.

The new off-ramp near the sports stadiums will open for drivers in time for the morning commute Tuesday, Feb, 19.

This new exit ramp leads to a new intersection at South Dearborn Street where drivers can choose to head straight to Alaskan Way and the waterfront, or turn right to access First Avenue and downtown or SODO. This video shows what the choices look like:

In addition to being an important link for travelers, engineers and researchers hope this new ramp will provide a link to something else – earthquake-resistant bridges.

This ramp is the first in the world built with flexible metals and bendable concrete designed to sway with a strong earthquake and return to its original shape. Its innovative design has won regional and national recognition.

After the opening of the new off-ramp, some bus routes will be adjusted. Please see King County Metro’s website for additional information.

(We’ll be following up separately with Metro and SDOT about the timeline for that and for other changes such as the end of the temporary 4th Avenue bus ramp/lane from the West Seattle Bridge. *6:56 PM UPDATE* Metro says yes, buses will shift to the new ramp starting Tuesday.)

WSDOT had warned for months that the exit ramp would take another one to two weeks to finish, after the opening of the Highway 99 tunnel; the recent snow added a few days to that timeline. Without this ramp, everyone using NB 99 in the past two weeks from West Seattle or points south has had to do so without being able to exit until north of the tunnel.

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(Monday afternoon view from construction-zone camera, looking south across new offramp)

REMEMBER THE RAMP? The tunnel’s been open for more than a week now, but the Dearborn/Alaskan Way offramp – to allow people traveling from West Seattle and points south to exit NB Highway 99 before the tunnel – is still under construction. The culprit, as you might expect – the snow. We asked WSDOT’s Laura Newborn today if there’s an update on the offramp’s expected opening: “There’s still weather-dependent work ahead of us. We do believe it will be next week but can’t say yet what day.”

ALASKAN WAY VIADUCT DEMOLITION: This too has been delayed a bit by the snow. WSDOT now says it’ll start later this week, at multiple spots including the Columbia/1st ramp. They’ve also added webcams focused on the Viaduct so you can watch the work.

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

After a dramatic 18-year prelude, the Highway 99 tunnel’s Monday debut was upstaged, big time.

Two inches of snow overshadowed two miles of tunnel.

But before the new tunnel becomes old hat, we need to finish telling the tale of its Saturday dedication, and the memories the event unearthed.

Whether you’re a fan or foe of the tunnel, you’ll agree its opening was at the end of a long road.

The 2001 Nisqually earthquake was the beginning of the Alaskan Way Viaduct’s end. Who could forget the WSDOT-produced video showing what a stronger quake might do?

Six somber, shaky minutes of simulation, made public in October 2009, which was already five months after then-Gov. Christine Gregoire signed the bill that formally set the tunnel project into motion. As we reported that day, her message to skeptics who said the tunnel couldn’t be done was, “Watch us.”

And Saturday – almost a decade of watching later – there she was, all smiles, with her daughter, now an elected official herself, Seattle Port Commissioner Courtney Gregoire:

Those at the ceremony who had helped make the tunnel a reality weren’t all past/present elected officials. These two West Seattle residents, for example:

Pete Spalding of Pigeon Point and Vlad Oustimovitch of Gatewood, longtime community advocates, were both on the Stakeholder Advisory Group that worked on Highway 99’s future before the tunnel decision, and then on the South Portal Working Group that started meeting days before tunnel funding was signed into law. For a bit of wonky history, check out our report from one of that group’s 2010 meetings, including a slide deck laying out the project’s original timeline and path.

Two years after that, politicians gathered again for a ceremonial groundbreaking in June 2012. You might remember some of the milestones that followed – milestones many involved with the project would like to forget. Five years ago, the tunneling machine was stuck, awaiting rescue. It worked, and in April 2017, the digging was done.

And on Groundhog Day 2019, this past Saturday afternoon, many of the politicians on the front lines along the way gathered for the ceremony dedicating it:

The half-hour-plus of speeches preceding the ribboncutting had two audio breakdowns – evoking fleetingly uncomfortable memories of the tunneling travails. Gov. Jay Inslee shouted his way through one of them, and both were fixed before too long, as the parade of speakers continued. The only West Seattleite to speak was County Executive Dow Constantine, who afterward walked into the tunnel with his family:

Daughter Sabrina was born during the tunnel machine’s unplanned pause. So many things have changed in those five years, including for others we photographed at the ceremony. There were former City Councilmembers, like West Seattleite Tom Rasmussen:

And Sally Clark:

Former mayor Mike McGinn – who had tried to stop the tunnel – showed up (Spalding couldn’t resist the photo op):

His pro-tunnel predecessor at City Hall, Greg Nickels, was of course there, as shown in Saturday coverage. We photographed him with our area’s former US House Rep. Jim McDermott:

West Seattle’s King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who was in the Senate when the Legislature funded the tunnel project, was there Saturday too:

Finally the photos and speeches were over and the ribbon was cut.

36 hours later, the tunnel opened, spared the spectre of an opening-day traffic jam by the snowstorm that kept many drivers home. So its real test is likely a few days away. But more than a collective cheer on Saturday, the sentiment was more one huge sigh of relief – that the tunnel was finally done, that an earthquake hadn’t taken out the Alaskan Way Viaduct before its closure. The project still has milestones to come, from Viaduct demolition to tolling to surface-street construction – but the centerpiece is complete – though its trimmings aren’t quite:

Concrete for the yet-to-open NB exit ramp north of the tunnel’s south end was poured, noisily, before, during, and after the ceremony. The workers waved; the pour roared on.

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