Within the next few weeks, crews will finish relocating electrical lines from the viaduct to underground locations east of the structure between S. Massachusetts Street and Railroad Way S. This project, which began in September 2008, prepares us for replacing the viaduct south of S. King Street and also helps protect downtown’s power supply in the event of an earthquake.

Crews installed underground duct banks between Railroad Way S. and S. Massachusetts Street to house the new lines and removed almost one mile of old electrical lines that were attached to the viaduct. Photos can be seen on the WSDot Flickr site.

With the lines removed and other utility relocation work underway, construction to replace the viaduct between S. Holgate and S. King streets is just around the corner. In spring 2010 crews will begin to build the south end replacement, which will be a new side-by-side roadway. More information about this project is available on this site
Viaduct Project Site Southend.

New route and entrances for proposed bored tunnel presented at working group meetings
Members of the program team met with the north portal and south portal working groups this month to discuss new design options for the proposed bored tunnel alternative. The working groups, which include neighborhood, freight, pedestrian and bicycle organizations, and business representatives, help inform the design and environmental review process for the viaduct's central replacement. A second Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for this project will be published for public review in 2010.

The new proposals move the tunnel’s south entrance one block west to Alaskan Way in order to reduce impacts to the historic Pioneer Square neighborhood. For the north portal, WSDOT is studying an alignment that would also move the entrance one block west to Sixth Avenue N., which would reduce the number of properties impacted by this project while improving WSDOT's ability to keep people and goods moving on SR 99 during construction.

The change in portal locations also means a change to the route for the proposed tunnel. The new alignment begins on Alaskan Way S., then moves toward First Avenue near Yesler Way, turns north near Stewart Street and ends at Sixth Avenue N. near Harrison Street.

Graphics and presentations describing these changes are available on the WSDOT Web site. The next working group meetings will be held in late January 2010.

Crews continue soil sampling and building surveys to aid design of proposed bored tunnel
Crews working for WSDOT have begun a new round of soil sampling and building surveys along the proposed bored tunnel’s revised alignment. Approximately 30 geotechnical drillings will be located in sidewalks, parking lanes and traffic lanes along the north and south ends of the new tunnel route. The soil samples will provide information that will aid the design of the tunnel boring machine.

Crews are also continuing to survey buildings along the proposed bored tunnel’s revised alignment. The visual surveys will provide an understanding of the conditions of buildings along the alignment, and help determine if any construction mitigation measures would be needed to prevent damage during tunnel construction.

More information about this work is available on the WSDOT Web site.

Progress made on SR 519, new ramps near the stadium
If you spend any time in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood, you can’t help but notice two bridges rapidly taking shape next to the stadiums. The two structures are the centerpieces of the SR 519 Intermodal Access Project, which is funded in part by the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program.

Once completed, the S. Royal Brougham Way bridge will carry traffic over the railroad tracks east of Safeco Field, improving safety and eliminating delays caused by train crossings. The new I-90/I-5 off-ramp to the S. Atlantic Street/Edgar Martinez Drive S. overpass will provide a direct westbound route from the freeways to the waterfront, helping commuters and freight haulers move faster and safer through SODO.

It won’t be long before drivers, freight haulers and sports fans can enjoy these benefits. Crews are on schedule to complete the project in June 2010. The S. Royal Brougham Way bridge will be open to traffic for stadium events before the first Mariners home game in April and the I-90/I-5 off-ramp will open by mid-May. This project is one of several improvements that will help keep people and goods moving during construction to replace the viaduct's south end.

You can view pictures of this project on the WSDOT Flickr site.

Know before you go
There is a web page that describes how WSDOT projects in downtown Seattle are affecting vehicle and pedestrian traffic. It covers projects on SR 99, including the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement; SR 519 and city streets through downtown and SODO.