How old is the alaskan way viaduct

The buildings in the surrounding area are more clearly visible—and some, having been hidden behind a freeway for more than 60 years, look like they could use a bath.

The change is most jarring viewed from a distance, though, as from a ferry heading to Colman Dock or from above. WSDOT has put together a video with aerials of the before and after to show just how different things are.

Demolition work started the afternoon February 15, at the Columbia Street onramp and finished up November 21, —meaning the process took about nine months. Rather than become an adaptive reuse project like some neighborhood advocates were pushing for, the tunnel is kind of a tomb for the viaduct—it was filled with rubble and will eventually be sealed off.

Viaduct parts entered the tunnel in baseball-sized pieces. WSDOT says that an estimated million pounds of concrete and more than 15 million pounds of steel rebar found a new life as infill.

During active demolition, the process was pretty hard to miss, with all the crumbling concrete and relevant machinery. Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. The scope of the work included not just demolition itself, but Battery Street Tunnel demolition, reconnecting Harrison, Thomas, and John to the tunnel, and replacing the Marion Street Pedestrian Bridge.

Furthermore, if drilling does resume March , the project still has over 8, feet to complete, leaving plenty of opportunity for further breakdowns, delays and additional costs. It is unclear if and when the project will be completed, and who will pay additional costs.

In the meantime, the damaged viaduct structure is still in use. The good news is that regardless of what happens with the stalled tunnel, the City of Seattle is proceeding with the plans for a stunning new civic waterfront, including a 4-lane urban street, parks, water access, habitat improvements, and better connections to downtown neighborhoods. By the beginning of the summer of , over one-quarter of the future Highway 99 tunnel had been excavated. The path of the tunnel digging machine is continuing toward the Pike Place Market, and it is currently located in Zone 4 of 10 the total zones.

Reaching this zone means that the machine is going past the foundation of the northbound SR 99 off-ramp to Seneca Street. As of July 14 , Bertha has traveled 3, of 9, feet with of 1, total rings built. In the history of American freeway teardowns, Portland's Harbor Drive holds an auspicious position. It stands as the first major highway to be intentionally removed. Alaskan Way Viaduct Seattle, Washington. Alaskan Way Viaduct today cutting off downtown from waterfront.

Source: Wikimedia Commons In , the City of Seattle, the State of Washington and the Federal Highway Administration agreed on a cut-and-cover tunnel as the prime replacement option for the viaduct. With the new tunnel nearly complete, the Alaskan Way Viaduct was permantely closed on February 1, Trucks, cranes with hydraulic steel jaws, and other heavy equipment were used by Kiewit on the demolition of the concrete and steel-rebar reinforced elevated highway.

As the roadway sections came down, the materials were first hauled to Terminal 25 adjacent to the West Seattle Bridge, where they were crushed into small pieces, and then transported back to the north end of the viaduct, where they were used as fill material in the decommissioned Battery Street Tunnel.

By the first week of June, crews were taking down the central section of the viaduct, from the Colman Dock ferry terminal north to the Seattle Aquarium. One central section -- at Alaskan Way and Marion Street -- did outlast the others. This was due to the need for a pedestrian bridge that allowed walk-on ferry passengers to access the terminal. On September 5, , the old bridge leading to and from Colman Dock was closed and removed; a new pedestrian bridge opened on September 22, connecting to a new ferry terminal.

This allowed work crews to tear down the final elevated section of the viaduct, with the last columns coming down September Meanwhile, ramp structures remained at the north and south ends of the viaduct. The last ramp sections over the railway lines at the north end stayed in place for another two months.