On Friday, January 11, 2019, Seattle officially closed the double decker viaduct that separated downtown from the waterfront and Elliot Bay. Not only was the viaduct unsightly, but the noise it generated was deafening. The closure was, in part, made possible by Bertha — a 57-foot-diameter boring machine from Japan that after six years of work completed the 1.7-mile tunnel, which rerouted Washington State SR 99 hundreds of feet beneath the city. The entire project cost an estimated $3.3 billion. When the viaduct is dismantled it will reconnect the city to a revitalized waterfront with a $700 million price tag. That figure does not include a number of private developments that are planned and currently underway. This effort was started in part because safety concerns but the benefits of this project will be incalculable.
It is always difficult for communities to make these massive investments that disrupt and inconvenience the individuals ultimately paying for the project. The processes are always imperfect, take longer than expected and involve unforeseen problems and cost overruns. However, this is a project that will deliver dividends far into the future. The image above is a celebration that occurred on the viaduct in the winter of 2019 and allowed the community to say its goodbyes to the imposing structure. The event allowed people to walk on the roadway. Bands played music, public art was commissioned and displayed, food trucks and restrooms were moved on to the structure and everybody had fun. We said our goodbyes, but few will ever miss it!