Expect major gridlock if you’re driving into downtown Seattle
Posted January 11, 2019 4:41 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SEATTLE (NEWS 1130) – Give yourself at least one hour of extra time if you’re heading into downtown Seattle this month.
A major artery along the Emerald City’s waterfront, the Alaskan Way Viaduct, is set to shut down at 10 p.m. on Friday and last at least three weeks.
The double-decker, 3.5-kilometre Alaskan Way Viaduct, which carries about 90,000 vehicles each day, will be replaced by a new four-lane tunnel.
The Realign-99 closure has prompted numerous warnings for drivers to just stay off the roads.
KOMO News Radio anchor Taylor Van Cise says anyone heading that way from this side of the border should expect.
“Absolute gridlock. It’s going to be terrible. I mean, that’s just from a local’s perspective. It’s going to be terrible if you’re trying to drive through Seattle using any surface streets or probably the highways too,” Van Cise says. “Really, your best option is to just sit through it and enjoy the company of those around you in their vehicles.”
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Van Cise says, luckily, the city’s not hosting any major concerts or sporting events anytime soon.
“Thankfully, the Seahawks are out of the playoffs, so we don’t have to worry about CenturyLink Field being filled with 60-thousand people. Mariners are still a few months away from spring training and then coming back here to the area, so overall, things should go as smoothly as possible. If they would have done this is in spring or summertime, that would have been a disaster,” Van Cise adds.
Even so, local businesses and hotels are offering discounts to anyone daring to venture into the area.
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Van Cise tells NEWS 1130 at least this closure is planned because recent un-planned closures have not been pretty.
“We’ve had a truck full of frozen salmon spill onto the road, we’ve had a truck of frozen crab legs spill onto the Highway 99 viaduct, really brought the city to a grinding halt.”
The viaduct’s not considered earthquake-safe, so it’s getting replaced by a tunnel that’s not slated to open for at least three weeks.
Mileage wise, this closure is the equivalent of blocking Vancouver’s Oak Street from 41st Avenue to Bridgeport Road in Richmond.
