Contractor crews will begin demolishing Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct on February 12, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced.
Workers will systematically remove concrete pieces one frame at a time to demolish the structure. Officials said the viaduct won’t come down all at once like the Kingdom did in 2000.
Most frames will be fenced off, demolished, and their sites restored within 30 days, according to WSDOT.
Crews will remove portions of the viaduct in three-span segments, which is about the length of a city block. As crews remove the top deck of the viaduct, the rubble will fall to the lower deck and will then be trucked away. Workers can then remove the columns to the lower level and repeat the process for the lower deck.
A debris net will hang between the Viaduct columns to keep debris from getting outside the work area. Crews will lay down bedding to protect the roadway and utility lines during construction.
Visitors will still have access to the Seattle waterfront during the demolition. The ferry terminal at Colman Dock and Alaskan Way will both stay open, although traffic on Alaskan Way will be reduced to one lane each direction.
Watch the demolition on our Viaduct Cam, which updates every five minutes. App users, click here.
Officials said the removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct will be completed by summer 2019.
Visitors will still have access to the Seattle waterfront during the demolition. The ferry terminal at Colman Dock and Alaskan Way will both stay open, although traffic on Alaskan Way will be reduced to one lane each direction.
The Battery Street Tunnel will close at 10 p.m. on Friday, February 1 after the evening commute. Despite community proposals to save the tunnel, which included transforming it into a park, farm, or transit option, the city will fill in the tunnel with rubble from the demolished viaduct and seal it.
WSDOT says the tunnel’s age and condition mean it would require costly upgrades to make it safe for other uses.
WSDOT said crews will begin fencing off the parking lot east of Lenora Street Pedestrian Bridge and north of Lenora Street under the viaduct as soon as February 4. The fencing will establish a work zone for demolition equipment. The area will be one of the first sections of the viaduct demolished, according to WSDOT.
A grand opening celebration for the new State Route 99 tunnel is scheduled for February 2-3. The tunnel is expected to open in early February.
Join KING 5's Seattle Tunnel Traffic Facebook group to stay up-to-date on the latest Seattle tunnel and Viaduct news and get tips to battle traffic during the three-week Viaduct closure in January.