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Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Construction Closures: Highlights for Monday, May 7 – Friday, May 11

Visit WSDOT’s website for a complete list of closures. Closure information changes frequently, so remember to check for updates throughout the week.

Highlights for Monday, May 7 – Friday, May 11

Central Waterfront:

  • On the night of Wednesday, May 9, crews clearing space for SR 99 tunnel construction will begin rerouting six blocks of waterfront traffic from Alaskan Way to a newly improved road beneath the viaduct. The traffic switch – which will last through at least early 2014 – will change ferry access as well as parking and traffic patterns along the waterfront south of Spring Street. A detailed map of the changes, along with a drive-through simulation that shows new routes to the ferry terminal, is available on the program website.

The following closures will occur between  7 p.m. May 9 and 5 a.m. May 10 as crews implement the reroute:

    • Traffic on northbound Alaskan Way, just north of South Jackson Street, will be detoured beneath the viaduct to Marion Street via Western Avenue and University Street. Northbound ferry traffic will be detoured to southbound Alaskan Way via University Street.
    • Washington Street will be closed at the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
    • Columbia and Madison streets, and westbound Yesler Way, will be closed at Western Avenue.
    • Southbound Alaskan Way will be reduced to one lane between Spring and Washington streets until 2 a.m. Bus stops will remain open.

North end:

  • Sixth Avenue North between Thomas and Harrison streets will be closed around-the-clock from 7 a.m. Monday through 5 p.m. Friday.

Corridor wide:

  • Weekend-long viaduct closure later this month. – Construction crews will close both directions of the Alaskan Way Viaduct between the West Seattle Bridge and the Battery Street Tunnel from 11 p.m. Friday, May 18 through 5 a.m. Monday, May 21.

 

Quick links:


Website links

Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program

SR 99 Tunnel Project | South Holgate Street to South King Street Project

 

As a public agency, the Washington State Department of Transportation is subject to the State’s Public Records Act (RCW 42.56).

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A gift for the mom who has everything: free parking

State, city partner with businesses to offer free parking on Seattle’s waterfront

WSDOT Press Release – Great food, interesting shops, fun attractions and picturesque views. If those aren’t good enough reasons to visit Seattle’s waterfront on Mother’s Day, here’s one more – you can park there for free.

The Washington State Department of Transportation and the city of Seattle are teaming up with several waterfront businesses, restaurants and parking operators to offer up to four hours of free parking between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Mother’s Day, May 13. The promotion is one of several steps WSDOT and the Seattle Department of Transportation are taking to offset lost on-street parking due to construction of the State Route 99 tunnel and other work along the waterfront.

“The waterfront is open for business during construction and there’s plenty of parking to be found,” said Downtown Seattle Association President and CEO Kate Joncas. “Treat your mom to a cruise on Elliott Bay, explore the Seattle Aquarium or enjoy a relaxing brunch – it’s a great time to visit.”

Here’s how visitors can take advantage of the more than 1,100 free parking spaces available on Mother’s Day:

  • Park at one of five participating parking facilities near the waterfront.
  • Dine at a participating restaurant or visit a participating business.
  • Request a validated parking ticket from your server or at a designated location by showing your receipt.
  • Show your validated parking ticket to the attendant at one of the participating parking facilities to receive up to four hours of free parking.

Participating businesses include Alaskan Sourdough Bakery, Argosy Cruises, The Crab Pot Restaurant & Bar, Elliott’s Oyster House, Fisherman’s Restaurant & Bar, Ivar’s Acres of Clams, Ivar’s Pier 54 Fish Bar, Red Robin, The Salmon Cooker and Seattle Aquarium.

Parking facilities accepting the validations include Commuter Centre Garage (809 Western Ave.), Hillclimb Garage (1422 Western Ave.), Pike Place Market Garage (1531 Western Ave.), Watermark Tower Garage (1108 Western Ave.) and the Western & Seneca parking lot (1101 Western Ave.).

For more information about the Mother’s Day parking promotion, visit www.downtownseattle.com/ThingsToDo/parkingpromo.

Future parking improvements on the waterfront

The Mother’s Day promotion is part of a larger effort to help waterfront businesses through SR 99 tunnel construction. Construction crews are currently building more than 60 temporary on-street parking spaces on Alaskan Way between Spring and Pike streets. The new spaces are scheduled to open on May 12.

“Tunnel construction has changed where people park when they visit the waterfront,” said Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program Administrator Linea Laird. “We’re doing everything we can to maximize parking and encourage people to visit neighborhoods near construction.”

Since August 2011, WSDOT and SDOT have been working to identify and implement strategies to mitigate for parking losses in Pioneer Square and on the waterfront. A plan to address the impacts of construction on short-term parking in these neighborhoods will be finalized in June.

For more information on the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement program, visit www.alaskanwayviaduct.org.

 

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Spring Speaker Series at Milepost 31

Milepost 31 celebrates the people and projects that shaped Pioneer Square and provides an inside look at the SR 99 Tunnel Project. Learn more about the project from experts in the field at the speaker series.

 

211 First Avenue South

Free admission

First Thursdays

 

May 3 – Tunneling in Seattle

A History of Innovation

Robert “Red” Robinson, Senior Vice President of Shannon & Wilson, Inc. – a Seattle-based geotechnical and environmental consulting firm

6 to 6:30 p.m.

Did you know there are more than 100 tunnels beneath Seattle? Join us for a virtual tour exploring the train, sewer, utility and transit tunnels built during the past century and learn how tunneling technology has advanced from hand tools to sophisticated boring machines.

June 7 – Meet the Tunnel Boring Machine

Replacement Program

Chris Bambridge, Tunnel Design Engineer for the Alaskan Way Viaduct

6 to 6:30 p.m.

What’s as long as a ferry, five stories tall and weighs 5,500 tons? The SR 99 tunnel boring machine! We’ll show you how this custom-designed machine will grind through rocks and remove more than 800,000 cubic tons of soil as it builds the SR 99 tunnel beneath downtown.

 

View full color flyer (PDF): MP31 Speaker Series