It's easy to understand why many might wonder why the state needs to spend $4.4 million on advertising for the new State Route 99 tunnel under Seattle. After all, it's been the talk of the town for months leading up to the grand opening in early February (see).
But do enough people know the in's and out's?
During the last online survey of approximately 1,000 people that was conducted by the state in 2017, 30 percent, or three in 10 respondents knew access to Seattle would change between the Alaskan Way Viaduct and tunnel. And it's a big change.
Unlike the viaduct, there will be no mid-tunnel entrances and exits. The two-mile tunnel starts near the stadiums in SODO and extends up near the Space Needle.
The fact that so few people surveyed realized this prompted the state to take action. It told officials there needs to be more outreach, Emily Glad with the Washington State Department of Transportation explained.
Drivers who used the mid-town entrances and exits on the now-defunct, and soon-to-be demolished, viaduct are the main target audience, according to an overview of the state's educational campaign published by the Seattle Times.
The overview also points out that without an advertising campaign, the state runs the risk of lower awareness and fewer people using the tunnel.
Of the $4.4 million, about two-thirds is dedicated to directly reaching out to drivers. That includes paid advertising for TV, radio, print ads, billboards, gas stations, transit, and digital properties. The rest was for research, development and production.
It's unclear if the number of people aware of the specifics of the tunnel has increased since 2017. The state has not done a more recent survey - though it's expected it is higher following all the coverage and advertising. Glad says the state's goal is to get awareness as high as possible by reaching everyday Seattle commuters and the target audience several times a week.
Whether the state's effort was a success likely won't be known until the tunnel opens and the commute through the city is as smooth as it can be, or nothing but brake lights.
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.
