The sounds of demolition continued Tuesday, signaling the continued progress a six-month project to tear down the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
Crews began chipping away at the Columbia Street on-ramp two weeks ago. Now, two sections of the road are gone as equipment attacks the column that supported the road.
Peering down from Pike Place Market, onlookers see less of the old viaduct. The southbound lanes below the market have been stripped away.
Near the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel, most of the road is gone where it crosses over Western Avenue.
But it's not just the viaduct that's going, so is the Battery Street Tunnel. Crews have closed off the southbound lanes. Further up Aurora Avenue, crews are preparing to build a better connection to Denny and downtown for drivers who do not access the SR 99 tunnel.
WSDOT says it would like to have the main portion of the viaduct that’s along the waterfront torn down before tolling begins. That segment of the work between Pike Place Market and Yesler Way is expected to be finished by June 1.
The entire viaduct demolition is expected to take about six months.