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[Lon Howard]

COPYING INTRODUTION TO THE BELOW IMAGES - ACCIDENTALLY POSTED IMAGES BEFORE POST WAS COMPLETE ...

The images I just posted prematurely were taken last May during the destruction on the Hwy 99 viaduct that went through downtown. It was built during the period 1949-1959 and some wanted it taken down soon after it was built. Many thought it was an eyesore and the traffic noise was very distracting, especially for out of towners. During recent years though, cracks as a result of the 2000 Nisqually earthquake began to grow and that proved the last straw. They built a tunnel to replace it and the teardown was completed last November.


3009cflickr by Lon Howard, on Flickr


IMG_3007flickr by Lon Howard, on Flickr


IMG_3002flickr by Lon Howard, on Flickr


3017aflickr by Lon Howard, on Flickr

[Lon Howard]

Posted these images in error before I was done. Will finish soon

[Wavelength]

A fine dispaly from a construction site; are the activities suspended or minimized due to corona?

[Lon Howard]

Thanks for your suggestion, Nandakumar!

The demolition was started around the beginning of 2019 and was completed in November. Not knowing anything about construction, I was shocked they finished that fast, especially since no explosives were allowed - the highway was literally within spitting distance of office buildings.

[Tronhard]

Thanks for posting the topic Lon. What does the waterfront look like now? I was there a few years back and, as an ex-engineer, was slightly horrified by the condition of the expressway, given its proximity to the Juan de Fuca tectonic fault.

[Lon Howard]

Trev, for now it looks pretty much like you might imagine with the viaduct "out of the picture" you remember. There are many competing plans for what it might look like 2-4 years from now, and it'll take some time for the PTB to decide how to move forward.

I live on the west side of Puget Sound and don't get to Seattle all that often but their local TV doesn't mention redevelopment very often so I'm sure it'll be awhile before anything happens.

One thing is worth knowing: there are Seattle area residents that romanticized about the elevated viaduct expressway in recent years when they realized it was threatened. "I just loved gazing at Puget Sound when I was going through downtown" was a common lament.

All at right angles and 100+ kph.