Date:
Friday, March 16, 2007
Contact:
Joy Carpine, Urban Corridors Office, (206) 464-1186, (206) 491-6974 (cell)
Emily Fishkin, Alaskan Way Viaduct Project, (206) 267-6821, (206) 437-5061 (cell)
SEATTLE – WSDOT maintenance crews will close the Alaskan Way Viaduct for its semiannual inspections on March 24 and March 25. Crews will close both decks of the viaduct Saturday, March 24 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 25 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Spokane Street through the Battery Street Tunnel.
Drivers should expect increased congestion on all major north-south routes during the closure and plan accordingly. WSDOT recommends leaving early, carpooling, vanpooling or taking transit. Drivers can check traffic conditions before they leave at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic. Up-to-the minute traffic information is also available via the voice-activated driver information line, 511.
In addition to structural inspections, WSDOT and the City of Seattle are coordinating preservation work during this closure. This will include:
- Searching for and removing loose concrete on the viaduct
- Repairing potholes, expansion joints and bridge rails
- Applying surface treatment to exposed rebar
- Inspecting lighting, fire prevention and ventilation systems in the Battery Street Tunnel
- Conducting preventative maintenance in the Battery Street Tunnel
- Conducting survey work for the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Project
WSDOT will release inspection results on Friday, March 30, 2007.
For more information, please go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/viaduct.
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