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The central waterfront replacement includes investments in SR 99, transit and city streets. |
WSDOT, King County and the City of Seattle are moving ahead to replace the central waterfront portion of the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a bored tunnel beneath downtown, a new waterfront surface street, transit investments, and downtown waterfront and city street improvements. The central waterfront seawall between Colman Dock and Pine Street will also be replaced.
With this solution we will:
- Create a seismically safe replacement for the viaduct.
- Minimize construction impacts to businesses and the traveling public.
- Provide capacity in the transportation system for today and the future.
- Provide more travel choices and improve access and mobility to and through downtown Seattle.
- Create a world-class destination on Seattle’s waterfront for residents and visitors.
Construction of the bored tunnel is expected to begin in 2011 and be open to drivers in 2015.
Bored tunnel information
Environmental review
The Federal Highway Administration, WSDOT and the City of Seattle are developing a second supplemental draft environmental impact statement for the viaduct replacement. This document will build on previous environmental analysis and will look at how the transportation system functions, with a focus on the various elements in the bored tunnel alternative (pdf 547 kb). It will also take a general look at the new waterfront promenade and repairing or replacing the seawall.
In June we held public scoping meetings to begin the comment period for this environmental analysis. The display boards (pdf 4.2 mb) from these meetings describe the project and how we reached this recommendation.
We want your feedback to help shape the project and guide us on what to address in this environmental review. You can send your comments via e-mail to SDEIS2ScopingComments@wsdot.wa.gov or via mail to Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program, Attn: Angela Freudenstein, 999 Third Ave., Suite 2424, Seattle, WA 98104. Comments should be submitted by Friday, July 10.
Making the connection
We understand the importance of today’s viaduct connections for northwest Seattle, West Seattle and the freight industry. The bored tunnel, new waterfront surface street, transit invesments and downtown city street improvements will provide a number of options for those traveling to and through downtown Seattle.
- Access from northwest Seattle folio (pdf 1.7 mb), maps (pdf 994 kb)
- Access from West Seattle folio (pdf 2.1 mb), maps (pdf 1.6 mb)
- Freight access map (pdf 341 kb)
- Graphic (pdf 456 kb) describing the new waterfront surface street connection to Elliott and Western avenues
Working groups
We established three working groups to help inform the design and environmental review process for the viaduct's central waterfront replacement. Visit public events for meeting times and locations. Information presented to the groups is available on our meeting materials page.
How did we develop this solution?
Updated June 2009