Seattle Viaduct/Tunnel Transition Info. January, 2019. (Tukwila: homes, construction, earthquake)

[homesinseattle]

January, 2019. It's going to be chaos for a month at least, get ready. Here's the link: Alaskan Way Viaduct - Three-week closure of SR 99

[Chilkoot]

This doesn't have much to do with the closure but they will be allowing people to walk through the tunnel just prior to the opening in February. Have to imagine this may never happen again. Free event but you do need to get tickets.
https://99stepforward.com/

[CharlesRamon]

what will the alternate routes be for redirected traffic? that would probably give a good idea for what areas will be affected the most.

[Hemlock140]

Like thousands of others, I work in the downtown/Belltown area. Unlike the Viaduct, the tunnel has no exits, it goes from the stadiums to South Lake Union, so all of us will have to use surface streets or I5. Even commuting by bus will be a nightmare, not just for that month, but on an ongoing basis. There are many alternative routes, such as Alaskan Way, 1st, 2nd, 5th, and I5, but those are all crowded already. Adding the current 99 traffic will make it a huge mess. The only benefit of the tunnel is for Amazon and other South Lake Union people coming from the south or Eastside via I90. Even many of those will avoid the tunnel due to the toll.

[mhays25]

The best advice is to avoid driving for those three weeks. Transit won't be as effected, but will have capacity issues.

Some people will shift their work hours. Some will take vacations. Some will stay with friends on the same end of town as their jobs.

Those Ballard-to-Tukwila types might want to rethink where they live or work, at least until the new waterfront boulevard is done in two years.

[pnwguy2]

The tunnel will not reduce congestion through downtown Seattle, but that was never the goal. It instead was built to be an alternative to bypass Seattle for those willing to pay the toll. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it was built. But this is not the answer to Seattle congestion, and those who think it it is, are delusional.

As for the transition, yep, it could be a mess. Someday in the future there may be some good traffic flow through here, but expect some headaches as the transition is made.

[rjshae]

Wasn't the tunnel built because of the 2001 Nisqually earthquake? It certainly brought back memories of the Loma Prieta earthquake and the resulting collapse of a stacked freeway.

[pnwguy2]

Yes, absolutely it was built to replace the stacked viaduct. My point was simply it won’t do much to reduce congestion.

[jakebarnes]

Originally Posted by mhays25

The best advice is to avoid driving for those three weeks. Transit won't be as effected, but will have capacity issues.

Some people will shift their work hours. Some will take vacations. Some will stay with friends on the same end of town as their jobs.

Those Ballard-to-Tukwila types might want to rethink where they live or work, at least until the new waterfront boulevard is done in two years.

Not everyone has the ability to move jobs or homes to accommodate construction, that's kind of a Marie Antoinette suggestion there. Especially considering home prices in Seattle. Not everyone can afford to live centrally and walk everywhere, which is why we are slowly building a train system.

Best option is light rail or Sounder if possible. Some bus routes have some priority, but I would expect all road based commutes to increase.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by jakebarnes

Not everyone has the ability to move jobs or homes to accommodate construction, that's kind of a Marie Antoinette suggestion there. Especially considering home prices in Seattle. Not everyone can afford to live centrally and walk everywhere, which is why we are slowly building a train system.

Best option is light rail or Sounder if possible. Some bus routes have some priority, but I would expect all road based commutes to increase.

Since the eastside buses came out of the tunnel, the time has increased already due to being in traffic on roads like 2nd with a lot of construction going on. Yesterday afternoon was a (minor) sample of what to expect, with delays caused by people going to the Seahawk game.