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#SeattleSqueezeAlert – Be prepared for changes to Seattle’s streets beginning January 9.

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PLEASE NOTE: Starting January 14, 2019, we will retire the On the Move blog channel and all traffic advisory blogs will be posted on the SDOT blog channel. 

To manage the increased volume of traffic on our city’s streets and changing traffic patterns in advance of the SR closure beginning Friday, January 11, we’re configuring key streets and restricting parking on key streets in Seattle.

 

Overview by date:

👉 On January 9 – Roy St Closure

Roy St between SR 99 and Dexter Ave N will be closed during the day to allow crews to install temporary right-turn-only lane striping to help people traveling out of the tunnel exit and head south on Dexter Ave N. Here’s what you can expect:

  • On Roy St heading eastbound between SR 99 and Dexter Ave N, the right lane will be temporarily striped as a right turn only lane.
  • This will allow drivers traveling out of the tunnel to avoid backup on Republican St and instead take Roy St, the second exit, to turn right and head south on Dexter Ave N.
  • This work will occur from 9 AM – 3 PM on Wednesday, January 9 in order to be completed before rainy weather is expected to occur over the weekend.
  • Weather depending, this work may be pushed back, but crews will work to wrap this up quickly!

 

👉 On January 12 – Seneca St Changes

We’re converting Seneca St between 1st Ave and 3rd Ave into a one-way street headed westbound to accommodate the shift from the Seneca St off-ramp closure. Read our Seneca St lane change flyer with graphics here. Here’s what you can expect:

  • Beginning at 7 AM on Saturday, January 12, our crews will convert Seneca St between 1st Ave and 3rd Ave to a one-way street headed westbound.
  • This is to accommodate the shift from the Alaskan Way Viaduct Seneca St off-ramp closing, as cars will no longer need to use Seneca St headed eastbound off of the Viaduct off-ramp. This change increases our city streets’ capacity for mobility.
  • This work will be completed by the end of the day.

 

👉 Starting January 14 – Parking Restrictions

Parking restrictions will begin January 14 and will be in place until the new SR 99 tunnel opens in early February 2019. Read our parking restrictions flyer with graphics here. Here’s what you can expect:

  • Temporary no-parking signs will be posted beginning Friday, January 11 in order to provide 72 hours’ notice of these parking changes. Please note that only 24-hour notice is needed prior to parking enforcement so we’re posting the signs over the weekend to provide additional time for public awareness.
  • On key streets downtown and in West Seattle, on-street parking restrictions will be in place Monday – Friday from January 14 until about mid-February, when the northbound off-ramp to Dearborn St opens.

Why are we making these changes?

These changes are going to make travel times more reliable and help keep people moving during this time of increased traffic. By installing temporary and permanent changes to Seattle’s streets, we will keep transit and vehicle travel reliable and improve our emergency response times as responders address incidents downtown.

 

What does this mean for you?

On-street parking options downtown during the SR 99 closure will be limited. People, businesses, schools, manufacturers, and many others rely on the timely delivery of products and goods, and we want to ensure they move as predictably and efficiently as possible.

 

If you need to drive, plan ahead and be prepared for your new route and parking locations downtown. Use the Seattle Parking Map to make a plan before you leave. Keep our Vision Zero goal in mind, follow the rules, take a deep breath and travel safely.

 

This is a great time to try a new commute! Try transit, biking, walking, carpooling or vanpools. View our Tools page at www.seattle.gov/traffic for helpful resources.

We recognize the impacts that parking restrictions can have on local businesses, and we’re here to provide support during this time. We’ll closely monitor our downtown streets to confirm traffic is moving smoothly and adjust as needed. If you have any concerns, please contact our Customer Care Center team at 684-ROAD@seattle.gov or call (206) 684-ROAD.

 

Want more info?

These are just a few of the ways we’re preparing for the three-week closure of SR 99 and the Seattle Squeeze, which will impact traffic across the region. We’re working hard to make sure we’re keeping people and goods moving safely and efficiently, and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we all adjust to this new normal.

Notice of future impacts related to the closure of SR 99 and other projects impacting traffic during the Seattle Squeeze are posted to our blog at www.seattle.gov/traffic. Head to this website for the latest updates and announcements.

 

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STARTING WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2: Buses merge with traffic on Aurora Ave N at N 100th St. 

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PLEASE NOTE: Starting January 14, 2019, we will retire the On the Move blog channel and all traffic advisory blogs will be posted on the SDOT blog channel. 

We’re making progress on the North Seattle Neighborhood Greenway.

Heads up travelers, we’re making progress on the North Seattle Neighborhood Greenway and will be installing accessible curb ramps and sidewalk improvements. Starting as soon as next Wednesday, January 2, here’s what you can expect.

Construction area.

Construction area

Nearby at Greenwood Ave N and N 100th St, traffic on Greenwood Ave N will be shifted around the construction work zone as we install a pedestrian island and pedestrian signal on Greenwood Ave N, as well as new accessible curb ramps on the west side of the street. Regular weekday work hours will be 7 AM to 4 PM.

  • Temporary on-street parking restrictions, with “no park” signs placed in advance.
  • Typical construction equipment, materials, noise, dust, and activity in the work area.
  • It is weather-dependent and may be rescheduled. For the safety of everyone using the street, please follow posted detour signs and avoid residential streets unless you live there or have business in the area. It’s important to drive slowly and be aware of the work areas.

 

Closure

N 100th St at Greenwood Ave N (west side of intersection) will be temporarily closed to through traffic during this work and open for local access only. Traffic will return to normal in spring 2019 once improvements are complete.

  • Once complete, those driving will no longer be able to cross Greenwood Ave N at N 100th St (see map on project webpage).
  • Two-way traffic on Greenwood Ave N will be maintained with lane shifts around the work zone.
  • Bike lanes in the vicinity will be closed during construction, and people biking will be directed to merge with traffic.
  • People walking will be redirected around the work zone, with a flagger available to assist during work hours.

 

Buses and bus lanes

The northbound bus lane on Aurora Ave N near N 100th St will be closed during the weekday, off-peak hours. Buses will merge with traffic. N 100th St at Aurora Ave N (east side of intersection) will also be temporarily closed to through traffic during this work and reopen outside of work hours (Monday-Friday, 7 AM to 4 PM) when possible. Local access will be maintained via Stone Ave N.  Traffic will return to normal in spring 2019 once improvements are complete.

  • Bus stops will remain open but may be temporarily relocated. Please check King County Metro Alerts for more information.

 

About the North Seattle Neighborhood Greenway.

The North Seattle Neighborhood Greenway will connect the Crown Hill, Greenwood, Licton Springs, and Northgate neighborhoods with the planned Northgate Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge, which crosses I-5 and connects to the future Northgate Link light rail station, bringing people to popular destinations including parks, schools, business districts, other greenways, and transit hubs.

 

Want more info?

Please contact the project team at northseattlegreenway@seattle.gov or 206.684.8105. There’s also more information on the project webpage! For more information about King County Metro service, visit kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro.

 

Thank you for your patience as we work to complete this new neighborhood greenway!

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THIS SATURDAY: 23rd Avenue S will be local access only between S Massachusetts St & S Jackson St.

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23rd Ave S

Heads up travelers,  this Saturday, Dec. 15 from 7 AM to 5 PM, 23rd Avenue S between S Massachusetts St and S Jackson St will be local access only. This work will allow us to pour concrete in the center lane of 23rd Ave S safely and without severely impacting local or through traffic. This work is weather-dependent and may be rescheduled.

 

Here’s what you can expect:

  • Work will be conducted on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 7 AM to 5 PM.
  • All northbound through traffic will be detoured to Martin Luther King Jr Way S from 23rd Ave S at S Massachusetts St.
  • Uniformed police officers and flaggers will be on site to direct traffic.
  • Traffic will return to normal at 5 PM on Saturday, Dec. 15.

 

Want more info?

For more information on this project, please our website. If you have questions or concerns, please email the construction outreach team at 23rdAveCorridor@Seattle.gov or call 206.727.8857.  Thanks for your patience while progress is being made.

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Work at Crown Hill Park to close one lane of eastbound Holman Rd NW. 

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Holman Road NW (looking westbound) and 13th Avenue NW. Nov. 2014.

Work at Crown Hill Park to close one lane of eastbound Holman Rd NW. 

We’re making progress on the Holman Rd NW and 13th Ave NW new signal. We’re conducting work in Crown Hill Park that will result in the closing of one westbound lane of Holman Rd NW. Work will start Tuesday, Dec. 11 and last for two to three weeks. The lane will be reopened each night. Please note this work is weather dependent and may change. Thank you for your patience while this work is completed. 

 

Here’s what you can expect:

Starting Tuesday, Dec. and lasting two to three weeks, travelers can expect:

  • Traffic reduced to one lane on westbound Holman Rd NW at Crown Hill Park.
  • Traffic delays.
  • Work hours from 7 AM to 4 PM.

 

More info?

Visit our website or contact Peter Kitchen, our Neighborhood Street Fund Outreach Lead by calling 206.775.8720 or emailing NSFHolman@seattle.gov.

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City of Seattle to celebrate 100th Community Engagement Event | SR 99 Viaduct closure & Seattle Squeeze!

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To inform people about their travel options during the SR 99 closure and beyond, the City of Seattle – in coordination with partners at the Washington State Department of Transportation, King County Metro, and Sound Transit – has been actively engaged in briefing communities since early September, throughout Seattle and the Puget Sound region. These events educate people about suggested strategies to navigate or avoid the upcoming challenges to the City of Seattle’s transportation system.

100th for the holidays…

This week, the City celebrates its 100th event at the Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition on Friday, December 7. Join us from 6 – 8:30 PM at Westlake Park for caroling and hot chocolate as we celebrate the holidays and provide visitors with information about the Seattle Squeeze. Figgy Pudding attracts nearly 10,000 people and raises funds for the Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank.

Finding a new path.

WSDOT Video | The path to demolition for Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle

To continue spreading awareness of the upcoming permanent closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct on January 11; the new SR 99 tunnel that will open in early February; and Seattle’s new era of tough traffic over the next five years, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, and the Seattle Department of Transportation began hosting information sessions across Seattle last week. At these sessions, community members get the latest details, ask questions, and begin preparing.

Upcoming SDOT/DON briefings (our 95th and 99th, respectively):

Wednesday, December 5
Northgate Community Center, 10510 5th Ave NE
6:30 – 7:30 PM

Thursday, December 6  (99th!)
Southside Commons, 3518 S Edmunds St
6:30 – 7:30 PM

A full list of the briefings hosted by Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and the Seattle Department of Transportation is available here.

Additionally, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is holding a series of information sessions this week to share what to expect during the Viaduct removal; meet members of the team; and have your questions answered (details on WSDOT’s Program Events webpage).

Upcoming WSDOT information sessions:

Wednesday, December 5, 2018
11 AM – 2 PM
Waterfront Space
1400 Western Ave., Seattle, WA

Monday, December 10, 2018
5 – 8 PM
Seattle Center, Armory Loft Room 2
305 Harrison St., Seattle, WA

Preparing together!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out! Thank you for your help in informing Seattle about the Seattle Squeeze! For more information on the City of Seattle’s strategy to manage congestion over the next five years, please visit www.seattle.gov/traffic.

 

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Start Your New Year’s Resolution Early: Talk to Your Employer About Commute Options.

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The words “Seattle Squeeze” are buzzing around the region.

Beginning with WSDOT’s permanent closure of the Alaska Way Viaduct on January 11 and continuing over the next three years, Seattle is entering a new era of tough traffic. Private and public megaprojects will continue to reduce capacity on our City streets and contribute to gridlock. We’ll all have to adjust to a new normal in and around downtown Seattle.

 

For many people who work downtown, this period will be particularly challenging and quite honestly, frustrating.

We’re entering a new era of really tough traffic. To help our region get through one of its toughest periods, we’re working together with partnering transportation agencies and organizations to reduce congestion during this challenging period and limit the impact on commuters and businesses.

 

Start your New Year’s resolution early. #GetReady

We’re approaching the new year. If this doesn’t sound the alarm for you, it should, because come January 11, 2019, we’ll witness history in the making with the final closure of the WA State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) State Route (SR) 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct (you know, that elevated structure along the Seattle waterfront) as one of the first big steps to realigning SR 99 to the new SR 99 tunnel. While all this is underway, travel patterns will change with people moving over to I-5, local downtown surface streets, and Alaskan Way, and we all know what this means:

TRAF-FIC /’trafik/

Cars and buses in downtown Seattle.

Some of you have the power to decide how difficult this period will be: ☝️☝️ or 👇👇

Woman drinking coffee in front of her window while looking at her computer.

Collectively, our commute choices will determine whether Seattle’s transportation system keeps moving. Every trip reduced or shifted off-peak, particularly vehicle trips, will help reduce congestion during the weeks of the viaduct closure and associated construction impacts. While your transportation agencies and partners work hard to mitigate the impacts of the closure, a partnership with the private sector is key to maximizing those efforts.

 

Employers have a significant influence on mobility choices…

…based on the policies, education, and incentives included in the employee transportation programs.

 

Every business – big or small – can help reduce traffic congestion during this time by encouraging their employees to make good choices.

 

To assist, Commute Seattle, (a nonprofit Transportation Management Association funded by the Downtown Seattle Association, yours truly (SDOT), King County Metro, and Sound Transit), will be providing free, personalized tools for Seattle-area employers to plan ahead for the #SeattleSqueeze.

Phone, tablet, laptop, and desktop computer.

Seattle employers have options.

Seattle employers of all sizes have a range of options to help their employees stay informed and make good travel choices.

 

Implement a Flex-work policy.

Implementing a flex-work policy and encouraging employees to take advantage of remote work and flexible scheduling options can improve employee well-being and productivity while reducing vehicle trips to and through downtown.

 

Support sustainable choices.

For those who are able, biking and walking are easy, sustainable ways to reduce traffic impacts for part or all your commute trip, and employers can support these choices through flexible scheduling, bicycle storage, and shower facilities.

 

Invest in commuter benefits.

Investing in commuter benefits such as ORCA Business Passport makes transit an easier and more affordable option for employees, and helping staff members share their commute trips by establishing vanpool and carpool programs can be a great alternative for those who need to drive.

 

Need some success stories? We’ve got ‘em!

We’ve seen some pretty sweet success stories from employer efforts over the years, whether through our Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program or other business support efforts. Several Seattle employers have illustrated how employees can be flexible if their worksite embraces travel choices and provides the right support.

 

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, located in Uptown, provides 100% subsidized transit, Monorail, and Vanpool/Van share commutes, as well as secure bike parking and HOV priority parking, resulting in over 65% of employees choosing commute modes other than driving alone.

 

Tableau:

Tableau, a software company in Fremont, has fostered a grassroots movement of employees who track their commutes and compete for most miles and days logged using alternatives to driving alone, encouraging employees to try new modes and building a sense of community around these options.

 

Let’s learn from our experience. 

We’ve seen it in the past with major closures – commute times will increase throughout the region. Peak commute hours will start earlier and end later, and in some cases, morning commute times will more than double.

If they can, employers should urge employees to avoid trips during these busy hours, whether by shifting their schedule or compressing their work week. Staying flexible is the best way to reduce congestion on our roadways and will help employees stay productive and engaged.

With early planning and the correct tools, Seattle employers can reduce employee stress and lessen traffic congestion, keeping their business thriving. And remember, at the other end of the tunnel (literally and figuratively) there’s a better transportation system waiting for Seattle!

 

Contact Commute Seattle, today! #GetReadyNow

Commute Seattle is standing by to provide free assistance to your Seattle businesses, creating a personalized action plan tailored to your company’s individual needs. Contact us today at SR99@commuteseattle.com or visit our website at www.commuteseattle.com/SR99 to get started!

Commute Seattle is also offering a Flexwork Open House on Wednesday, November 28 from 11 AM – 12:30 PM to help Seattle employers learn more about flexwork solutions. Learn more and register here!

 

Other things you can do.

Man looking at phone while sitting down.

Stay informed. Visit our new website, www.seattle.gov/traffic, for all of the information and resources you need to get around during the #SeattleSqueeze. For detailed information about the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure, new SR 99 tunnel, and SR 99 tolling, visit WSDOT’s website.

 

Plan your trip. We’re providing real-time construction and traffic information with popular navigation technologies: Google Maps, Waze, and TomTom. But try transit, ride a bike, form a carpool, or walk.

 

Spread the word. Share this information with your customers, delivery and service providers, and neighbors.

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#SeattleSqueeze online resource: seattle.gov/traffic

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You’ve heard it: How you get around is changing. But you’ve also heard that a souped-up website for all things Period of Maximum Constraint (now #SeattleSqueeze) was coming. Well, guess what? It’s here; it’s finally here! To help you prepare for Seattle’s era of tough traffic over the next five years, we’ve worked together with city transportation partners and organizations to bring you the newest one-stop resource during what we’re hashtagging as the #SeattleSqueeze.

 

Go ahead and click it. 👇👇👇

So how exactly will this innovative site work? The information on the site will evolve over time because after WSDOT’s January 11, three-week closure of SR 99 downtown to #Realign99, many – many – many more projects will follow and this website will be your go-to for:

 

  • Current traffic times to neighborhoods across Seattle.
  • Projected travel times 45 mins from now.
  • Apps, maps, and more.
  • Popular questions answered.
  • Partner resources.
  • Signing up for alerts. You’ll have the option to subscribe to traffic alerts for YOUR commute. That’s right, get the latest travel times, tips, and suggestions for your commute with 2x a day traffic alerts to neighborhood corridors so you can plan ahead.

 

Take a self-guided tour! Visit seattle.gov/traffic and subscribe to alerts. #GetReady #SeattleSqueeze

 

 

Details about the seattle.gov/traffic website on our November 16, blog.

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Seattle.gov/traffic – Your web resource for the Period of Maximum Constraint!

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With eight weeks until #Realign99, we’ve launched a new website!

It’s here! To help you prepare for Seattle’s new era of tough traffic that begins on January 11, 2019, with a three-week closure of SR 99 downtown as WSDOT works to #Realign99 , we’ve worked with our partners in the City of Seattle and across the region to bring you www.seattle.gov/traffic, your one-stop resource during what we’re calling the Seattle Squeeze.

 

What’s that?

Beginning with WSDOT’s permanent closure of the Alaska Way Viaduct on January 11 and continuing over the next five years, Seattle is entering a new era of tough traffic. Even after the new SR 99 tunnel opens, the tough times will continue. Additional private and public megaprojects will continue to reduce capacity on our city streets and contribute to gridlock. All this will be worth it. But everyone traveling to and in Seattle needs to have a plan for commuting to work or school, appointments, and/or running simple errands.

 

What can you find on the new website?

This digital platform has tools, information, and resources you need to keep you moving safely to and through downtown.

 

At our evolving information hub you will find:

  • The ”Seattle Squeeze” explained.
  • Current traffic times to neighborhoods across Seattle.
  • Projected travel times 45 minutes from now.
  • Apps, maps, and other tools to help you get around.
  • Q & A to read what people are asking, and ask your own questions!
  • A partners page for the full list and resources!
  • And lastly… Subscribe to traffic alerts for your commute. We’re providing the latest travel times, tips and suggestions for your commute and traffic alert twice per day to different neighborhood corridors to help you plan ahead!

 

Realigning travel during #Realign99.

When the Viaduct closes, three solid weeks of construction begin. Crews will work around the clock to move SR 99 off the viaduct and into the new, two-mile SR 99 tunnel beneath downtown Seattle.

During the #Realign99 closure, the longest highway closure in Seattle’s history, both the viaduct and new tunnel will be closed. You can expect six weeks of impacts.

 

Why is so much work needed?

Removing the Alaskan Way Viaduct is an important safety project. WSDOT is removing an old roadway vulnerable to earthquakes and replacing it with a much safer tunnel. This regional disruption to traffic is unavoidable. Closing the highway for approximately three weeks is the only way crews can finish building the eight new ramps that will allow travelers to enter and exit the new tunnel. Check out this video to get more of the story.

In the meantime, WSDOT has completed work to provide a temporary surface Alaskan Way option, just west of the Viaduct.

 

Visit www.seattle.gov/traffic.

The #Realign99 closure will be a very challenging time for everyone traveling to, from or through Seattle. We will need everyone’s help to avoid gridlock. Start making your plan today – visit www.seattle.gov/traffic to get started!

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Engineering News Record NW features the renovation of Yesler Way Bridge.

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ENR Northwest November 2018 cover.

The renovation of Yesler Way Bridge is featured in this month’s issue of Engineering News Record (ENR) Northwest, and tonight our project team gets honored for their good work on the Yesler Way Bridge Rehabilitation Project. The effort won ENR Northwest’s Best Project Award for Renovation/Restoration.

Judges reviewed more than 30 projects located in Oregon, Alaska, and Washington state, and this evening in Seattle presents the regional awards.

The winners have a chance to be the ENR ‘Best of the Best’ in their category, as judges from across the country compare all submittals nationwide, as they have in years past.

 

Making a mark – a landmark.

Yesler Way Bridge over Fourth Ave | circa 1920

The Yesler Bridge is one of Seattle’s oldest permanent steel roadway bridges, originally built in 1910—long before Interstate-5 cut through the hill just east of it, and, back when the Mayor’s Office was in the iconic trapezoid structure built prior to the regrading that lowered street levels on Terrace and 5th Avenue.

 

Honoring Seattle history.

Yesler is a historic Seattle name, woven into restoration project outreach. Honoring history; integrating new building knowledge; and designing for the future, all came together in the project to rehabilitate Yesler Way S bridge. It took a great deal of coordination and collaboration — an award-winning amount — to renovate the bridge that carries the intersection of Yesler and Terrace over 4th Ave. Project elements included:

  • An east wall seismic upgrade;
  • A new west wall;
  • A new superstructure*.

*This key rehabilitation eliminated the risk of collapse, should a vehicle strike a column of this formerly multi-span bridge!

 

Something old, something renewed.

Yesler Way Bridge project rendering | Key rehabilitation elements identified.

The rehabilitation team worked with the Pioneer Square-Skid Road National Historic District; Pioneer Square Historic District; and International Special Review District to maintain the bridge’s historic pedestrian railings, fascia girders, ornamental columns and cladding, capitals, corbels, and light fixtures.

 

Shared vintage.

Jan. 1, 1876 issue of Engineering News

You know the old saying, “it takes one to know one…”? Well, the Engineering News-Record (ENR) launched about 35 years before the Yesler Way S bridge was built! Even then, Engineering News covered many Seattle projects, including the call for bids to pave Yesler Way with granite blocks and the Cedar River flood of November 1911. That 140+ years of industry expertise makes the ENR Best Projects program a brass ring for teams to strive for.

Visit http://www.enrbestprojectsawards.com/ for more information on ENR regional awards events.

 

Congratulations Yesler Way project team!

 

 

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How you get around Seattle is changing. #GetReady #Realign99

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Alaskan Way Viaduct + Waterfront + Ferries + Coleman Dock + Elliot Bay + Downtown Seattle

If you’ve not noticed our traffic patterns changing already, you’re going to notice very soon. Starting January 11, 2019, the Puget Sound region will experience the longest closure of a major highway it has ever experienced.

(In addition, there are more than 65 construction cranes dotting our skyline and work is expected to intensify over the coming months.)

The time has come as Seattle prepares to bid its final farewell to the seismically vulnerable and aged SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct (the elevated portion of the highway next to the waterfront). On January 11, 2019, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will permanently close the Alaskan Way Viaduct in preparation for opening the new SR 99 tunnel in early February that will offer a direct route for drivers to get through downtown Seattle from the stadiums to the Space Needle.

Alaskan Way Viaduct through downtown Seattle. Circa 1972. Item 169335, Forward Thrust Photographs (Record Series 5804-04), Seattle Municipal Archives.

This means that once the viaduct closes in January, the days of traffic entering the viaduct from downtown’s Columbia Street and exiting the viaduct from Seneca Street will end. Instead, traffic will enter and exit the new tunnel in South Lake Union and SODO. During the three-week closure, both the elevated highway and Battery Street Tunnel (see our Extras section below for a drive through Battery Street Tunnel) will be closed so that WSDOT can realign the highway into the new SR 99 tunnel. See the diagram below, courtesy of WSDOT.

Image courtesy of WSDOT.

“While we’re excited about the opening of the SR 99 tunnel, it’s important to remember that this is ultimately a safety project, not a congestion-relief project.” – WSDOT

 

Adjusting to a major closure, new openings, tolls, and another route option.

When the new tunnel opens (it will initially be toll-free), drivers will have to readjust their travel from the closure to the newly opened tunnel route through and under downtown. Then, as soon as the summer of 2019, the tunnel will be tolled. WSDOT predicts that traffic patterns will shift again after the tunnel is tolled – they expect a drop in tunnel traffic as seen from patterns on the tolled SR 520 Bridge and other toll roads in the U.S. Some drivers may use other routes (I-5, Alaskan Way, or local downtown streets) until they realize the value (toll will be within the range of $1-2.25) of time saved by using the much quicker tunnel route. Traffic will make is final adjustments when the new future Alaskan Way surface street improvements are completed in 2021 when drivers will have another option through downtown.

 

“Much like a weather forecast, these traffic projections aren’t an absolute certainty but they do give us a glimpse into how traffic patterns may change over time. These projections are our best attempts to predict what people may choose to do based on a model of an extremely complex and constantly changing system.” – WSDOT

 

It’s time to #GetReady.

Traffic will get worse before it gets better. Region-wide traffic disruptions will be unavoidable. We’re working closely with local and regional transit partners, like King County Metro, Sound Transit, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Downtown Seattle Association on ways to help you get around downtown as safely and efficiently as possible during this transition. The City has prioritized five downtown mobility strategies to help:

 

  • Transportation system monitoring and managing real-time traffic operations.
  • Reducing drive-alone trips downtown.
  • Investing in transit to meet demand and expand access.
  • Managing construction projects in the public right-of-way.
  • Coordinating regional communications. COMING SOON: seattleconnection.org

 

With these five strategies, here’s how we’re responding to the permanent viaduct closure:

The City of Seattle cannot make mobility changes alone and are commissioning the traveling public to help reduce daily downtown Seattle trips by 1,200 in 2018 and 3,000 in 2019. There is no better time than now to #GetReady.

 

Stay informed. Follow the SDOT’s and WSDOT’s Twitter channels, blogs, and available online tools.

 

 

 

Plan your trip. We’re providing real-time construction and traffic information with popular navigation technologies: Google Maps, Waze, and TomTom. But try transit, ride a bike, form a carpool, or walk.

 

Figure out a flexible work plan. Help employees plan for a flexible work plan. Contact Commute Seattle who is offering free consultation for businesses. Commute Seattle fosters mobility partnerships and services. Through education, advocacy, training, and consulting, Commute Seattle is helping create a transit-supportive business culture to ensure that commuters enjoy commuter benefits and amenities.

 

Spread the word. Share this information with your customers, delivery and service providers, and neighbors.

 

Website coming soon!

Keep a lookout in November 2018 – we’re launching a new website for all your #PeriodofMaximumConstraint information and resources. For detailed information about the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure, new SR 99 tunnel, and SR 99 tolling, visit the WSDOT source.

 

Extras

Take a drive through the Battery Street Tunnel with us. After January 11, 2019, closure, you will no longer be able to drive through it.

Video: In the Battery Street Tunnel

 

 

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