Alaskan Way Viaduct | |
|---|---|
 A map of downtown Seattle with the Alaskan Way Viaduct highlighted in red and older demolished sections highlighted in pink | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by WSDOT | |
| Length | 2.2 mi (3.5 km) |
| Existed | April 4, 1953–January 11, 2019 |
| Component highways |  SR 99 |
| Major junctions | |
| South end | SR 99 (Marginal Way) in Industrial District |
| North end | SR 99 (Battery Street Tunnel) in Belltown |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| Counties | King |
| Highway system | |
The Alaskan Way Viaduct ("the viaduct" for short)[1][2][3] was an elevated freeway in Seattle, Washington, United States, that carried a section of State Route 99 (SR 99). The double-decked freeway ran north–south along the city's waterfront for 2.2 miles (3.5 km), east of Alaskan Way and Elliott Bay, and traveled between the West Seattle Freeway in SoDo and the Battery Street Tunnel in Belltown.
The viaduct was built in three phases from 1949 through 1959, with the first section opening on April 4, 1953. It was the smaller of the two major north–south traffic corridors through Seattle (the other being Interstate 5), carrying up to 91,000 vehicles per day in 2016.[4] The viaduct ran above Alaskan Way, a surface street, from S. Nevada Street in the south to the entrance of Belltown's Battery Street Tunnel in the north, following previously existing railroad lines.
The viaduct had long been viewed as a barrier between downtown and the city's waterfront, with proposals to replace it as early as the 1960s. Questions of the structure's seismic vulnerability were raised after several earthquakes damaged similar freeways in other cities, including some with the same design as the viaduct. During the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, the Alaskan Way Viaduct suffered minor damage but later inspections found it to be vulnerable to total collapse in the event of another major earthquake, necessitating its replacement.
The state and city governments considered several options, including a rebuilt elevated structure, a surface boulevard, and cut-and-cover tunnel, but could not compromise on a final choice. A deep-bored tunnel was selected in 2009 and the southern section of the viaduct was demolished in 2011 and replaced with a six-lane, single-deck freeway that travels through the SoDo industrial area.[5] Excavation of the downtown bored tunnel by the tunnel boring machine "Bertha" began in 2013 and was completed in 2017 after two years of delays. The viaduct was closed permanently on January 11, 2019, and the new tunnel opened three weeks later on February 4.[6][7] Demolition of the viaduct began weeks later, and was complete by late 2019.
- ^ "The Seattle Waterfront: What to do in One Day | ShermansTravel".
- ^ "Down To Earth seattle archive | The Spokesman-Review". Archived from the original on June 9, 2020.
- ^ "Bye Bye Alaskan Way Viaduct". January 20, 2019.
- ^ WSDOT Projects: Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement
- ^ Gutierrez, Scott (October 22, 2011). "Alaskan Way Viaduct closure, demolition begin". seattlepi.com. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ "Alaskan Way Viaduct - Tunneling". Washington State Department of Transportation. 2018. Archived from the original on December 10, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ^ Lindblom, Mike (September 17, 2018). "Permanent closure of Alaskan Way Viaduct delayed until January". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018.