Tickets are limited for the grand opening celebration of the State Route 99 tunnel set for February 2-3. The weekend-long celebration includes a fun run and bike ride through the tunnel and on the viaduct, a ribbon cutting ceremony, and a festival.
Ticket holders will get to walk through the tunnel and on top of the Alaskan Way Viaduct on Saturday, but Sunday's morning bike ride is sold out.
The two-mile-long tunnel and the viaduct will be open Saturday between the Battery Street Tunnel and Seneca Street so people can walk the roadways for the first or last time. There will be a shuttle pick-up location at the south end of the portal.
WSDOT says the events aim to celebrate the waterfront’s past, present, and future, and will include an art festival with 100 local artists on the viaduct, programming highlighting STEM and people who worked on the tunnel, and highlights of future plans for the waterfront.
WSDOT hopes to open the tunnel the following week, depending on the weather, according to David Sowers, deputy program administrator of engineering and operations at WSDOT.
The Saturday 8K fun run route will start at the north portal, run to the south end of the tunnel, and back north on the viaduct to the north portal. A 12.5-mile bike ride that turns around at South Idaho Street on SR 99 will follow a similar route Sunday.
Two festival locations with live music and food trucks are planned for the north and south portals of the SR 99 tunnel, which are located east of Seattle Center and at South Royal Brougham Way. Roads will also be closed to traffic in the area near the festivals.
The public can register for event tickets on the Step Forward website. Tickets to walk through the tunnel and Viaduct on Saturday are free, but the fun run requires paid tickets.
The events are slated to occur rain or shine.
Saturday
7:30 a.m. – noon – Fun run
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Ribbon cutting ceremony
11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Public festival
12:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Public tunnel walk/access
12:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Goodbye to the viaduct/hello waterfront
Sunday
Sunrise – 11 a.m. – Bike ride SOLDOUT
