Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Tunnel

[Beltway]

The Battery Street Tunnel is just too expensive to maintain or retrofit. It was built in a hurry and without modern safety systems (fire suppression, communication, lights, earthquake engineering, etc.).

It will be expensive to backfill 6 blocks of tunnel --

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/Contents/Item/Display/485

The Battery Street Tunnel was constructed in the 1950s and is at the end of its useful life.  WSDOT's final environmental document for the program included decommissioning (filling and sealing) the tunnel, and so WSDOT has a legal obligation to implement that plan.

Community ideas have been proposed for alternative uses for the tunnel.  However, given the age and condition of the structure, it would need significant and costly structural and system upgrades in order to be safe for other uses.  WSDOT will be decommissioning the tunnel as part of a design-build contract that also includes demolishing the viaduct and connecting surface streets at the tunnel's north portal.

[jakeroot]

One group of architects proposed tearing Battery Street open and creating an understreet park, which would be awesome but a huge logistical/security/accessibility nightmare.

I would be worried about light levels with such high walls.

[707]

One group of architects proposed tearing Battery Street open and creating an understreet park, which would be awesome but a huge logistical/security/accessibility nightmare.

I would be worried about light levels with such high walls.

I wouldn't put it past the city to actually do that. At this day and age, Seattle doesn't care about logistics, real economics or car traffic. Just ask the businesses that are going to be forced to close down in Ballard thanks to the recent Burke Gilman Trail developments. Also the tons of streets they "dieted".

[jakeroot]

One group of architects proposed tearing Battery Street open and creating an understreet park, which would be awesome but a huge logistical/security/accessibility nightmare.

https://i.imgur.com/KoaK84p.jpg

I would be worried about light levels with such high walls.

I wouldn't put it past the city to actually do that. At this day and age, Seattle doesn't care about logistics, real economics or car traffic. Just ask the businesses that are going to be forced to close down in Ballard thanks to the recent Burke Gilman Trail developments. Also the tons of streets they "dieted".

Modifications made to city streets are consistent with policy choices made by city and state agencies. Speaking from first hand experience, traffic in the city is no worse than 7 years ago. Also speaking from experience (half my family lives in metro Phoenix), walking around Phoenix is nowhere near as nice as walking around Seattle. And, it's much more enjoyable these days, thanks to all the road diets which have reduced crashes and injuries. Also, keep in mind that only a minority of downtown employees drive themselves to work. Catering to SOV is short-sighted.

The BGT is, effectively, a bike/ped superhighway; its existence is non-negotiable. What business closings are you referring to?

[Bruce]

I wouldn't put it past the city to actually do that. At this day and age, Seattle doesn't care about logistics, real economics or car traffic. Just ask the businesses that are going to be forced to close down in Ballard thanks to the recent Burke Gilman Trail developments. Also the tons of streets they "dieted".

Funny, I do business in Ballard and haven't heard a single credible source about businesses being forced to close down because of the Missing Link of the BGT...which hasn't even begun construction despite the 20-year legal fight and many, many studies to get it built. Lower Ballard is being redeveloped into an urban center, but that's independent of the trail and has nothing to do with the propaganda being spread by anti-bike activists in the area.

The road diets have done little to harm traffic, according to data and anecdotal experiences from residents and businesses living on 23rd, Westlake, or Rainier in Columbia City. In fact, the only people complaining about diets either (a) don't live in the area, (b) only drive in for occasional business, or (c) are just opposed to road diets in general without considering the actual feelings of residents and businesses. Considering that pedestrians and cyclists still die due to drivers plowing into them at marked, well-lit crosswalks, the diets are wholly necessary.

[707]

I thought I heard some of the martime industrial businesses next to the BGT were going to suffer from this due to having yo take up costly insurance policies they otherwise wouldn't need to have, should God forbid, one of the delivery trucks supplying the warehouses accidentally hit a cyclist. I talked to an economist over this issue and he stated the cost of the insurance and resulting lawsuits from cyclists rendezvousing with the trucks would be too much for the businesses to handle and they would have to close down shop. From experience living in Seattle I remember some cyclists dont pay attention and get into trouble a lot with cars, but the end result is usually the same: the driver ends up the guilty party even if they did nothing wrong. Granted there are bad drivers out there too who actually dont pay attention and harm innocent cyclists. I won't deny that. To get back on track, basically the economist described the BGT as being an unneeded liability for them. Not sure where he got his info, but usually the economist in question is a trustable source. He did know the owner of Ballard Oil for several years.

VS988

[jakeroot]

God forbid delivery drivers have to take extra precaution.

Regardless, that's a dumb reason, since there's cyclists all over Seattle, and this is the first I've heard of such an issue.

[silverback1065]

I wouldn't put it past the city to actually do that. At this day and age, Seattle doesn't care about logistics, real economics or car traffic. Just ask the businesses that are going to be forced to close down in Ballard thanks to the recent Burke Gilman Trail developments. Also the tons of streets they "dieted".

Funny, I do business in Ballard and haven't heard a single credible source about businesses being forced to close down because of the Missing Link of the BGT...which hasn't even begun construction despite the 20-year legal fight and many, many studies to get it built. Lower Ballard is being redeveloped into an urban center, but that's independent of the trail and has nothing to do with the propaganda being spread by anti-bike activists in the area.

The road diets have done little to harm traffic, according to data and anecdotal experiences from residents and businesses living on 23rd, Westlake, or Rainier in Columbia City. In fact, the only people complaining about diets either (a) don't live in the area, (b) only drive in for occasional business, or (c) are just opposed to road diets in general without considering the actual feelings of residents and businesses. Considering that pedestrians and cyclists still die due to drivers plowing into them at marked, well-lit crosswalks, the diets are wholly necessary.

your second paragraph can be used to describe almost every nimby opposition i've come across

[Bruce]

Yeah, NIMBY is a bit of a misnomer. It's more like Not in My General Vicinity or Affecting My Lifestyle (NIMGVAML?) and can bring in suburban folks who oppose transit/bicycling at an ideological level into many hyperlocal fights.

So far the only alternative plans for the BGT Missing Link have involved routing cyclists onto a parallel street with even more truck traffic and a few blind turns (which would be much worse for all parties) or just not building it, which is also a non-option after 20 years of doing nothing.

The gap is very short and uses the most logical route, especially when you consider that most of Ballard sits uphill from the trail proper.



The Shilshole plan is a huge improvement over the current situation, trading perpendicular parking for a wider shoulder that allows trucks to make the wide turns into driveways (which will have signs for trail users to yield to trucks). The only loss is, of course, the parking, which is where the main opposition lies (not behind the bullshit truck excuse).

[MantyMadTown]

Any news on the date of opening yet? I've been trying to find it but all I'm getting is sources from months ago saying it'll open in October. That's an entire month span so I don't know when it'll be specifically.

[jakeroot]

Any news on the date of opening yet? I've been trying to find it but all I'm getting is sources from months ago saying it'll open in October. That's an entire month span so I don't know when it'll be specifically.

No precise date yet.

[Plutonic Panda]

Any news on the date of opening yet? I've been trying to find it but all I'm getting is sources from months ago saying it'll open in October. That's an entire month span so I don't know when it'll be specifically.

No precise date yet.

is there an exact date the Alaskan Way Viaduct will be shut down? I want to make sure I see it before it closes.

[Bruce]

The viaduct will likely be closed the weekend after the tunnel opens, if not a little later than that to make sure the tunnel is working smoothly. The viaduct won't be demolished until spring/summer of next year, though, and there's plenty of places to view the viaduct from.

[ErmineNotyours]

The viaduct will likely be closed the weekend after the tunnel opens, if not a little later than that to make sure the tunnel is working smoothly. The viaduct won't be demolished until spring/summer of next year, though, and there's plenty of places to view the viaduct from.

Actually, the viaduct will close three weeks before the tunnel opens.

[jakeroot]

Yeah, they have to close it before the tunnel opens in order to tie together Highway 99 and the tunnel portals.

[Henry]

There are a lot of Washington installs that are LEDs.  Some are using colored drivers, others are using white, with colored lenses.

It's not the driver that makes the color. It is a combination of the diodes and, if applicable, the phosphor placed over them. "White" LEDs are usually actually blue LEDs with a phosphor coating on the inside of the cap.

So basically, they use the same treatment as the old mercury vapor lights?

I, for one, can't wait to drive the new tunnel when it opens later on this fall!

[Bruce]

As a reminder, we should coordinate a potential last viaduct meetup / first tunnel meetup together in this thread: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=23573.0

Would be nice to meet y'all in person for once.

[doorknob60]

Glad I got to drive the viaduct one last time last month. I wasn't originally planning on it, but Waze redirected me to WA-99 as I was approaching Mercer St. around 5:30 PM and I happily obliged (yeah, I'm not sure why it originally wanted me to drive Mercer at that time I was driving from Ballard to Seaside, OR so there wasn't exactly an easy route though). Its time is up, but I have good memories of it and the views you get driving on it are great. Looking forward to possibly driving the new tunnel next time.

[Bruce]

KIRO Radio is reporting that tolls will be waived for the first few months.

http://mynorthwest.com/1102524/seattle-viaduct-closure-tunnel-status/

[Bruce]

According to the July schedule, October 1 is the contractor's substantial completion date.

https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/Media/Default/-NewDocuments/Schedule/2018/STPSchedule_July2018.pdf

[MantyMadTown]

I think the viaduct might be closing this weekend:
https://westseattleblog.com/category/highway-99-tunnel/

[jakeroot]

Looks to be a regular weekend closure. Though a permanent closure is certainly around the corner.

[MantyMadTown]

So last I heard was that commuters would get an announcement one month before the 3 week closure, yet this announcement hasn't happened yet. How is this tunnel going to open in October when 7 weeks from Friday will be November?

[silverback1065]

sounds like aside the cost, this was a great project, you get to keep a highway and have an ugly one removed and allow access to the waterfront.  If tunnels weren't so expensive, this would happen in many downtowns.

[Bruce]

sounds like aside the cost, this was a great project, you get to keep a highway and have an ugly one removed and allow access to the waterfront.  If tunnels weren't so expensive, this would happen in many downtowns.

It really doesn't replace the bulk of the viaduct's traffic (due to the lack of downtown ramps) and really wasn't worth the headache. The Surface + Transit option from the 2000s would have been much better, and we're essentially building it on top of the tunnel anyway (but at a higher cost and much later).

Fingers crossed that a major earthquake (either from the subduction zone or local fault) doesn't strike the viaduct before it's fully demolished. It wouldn't take down the whole waterfront, thanks to the new seawall, but it would still do a lot of damage.