News, Transportation

Seattle’s Shunpikers Slice $200 Million From Tunnel Toll Estimates

WSDOT is not normally in the habit of announcing that they have $200 million in fun money they have no use for. There exist WSDOT projects with perhaps more impact than ferrying 57,000 vehicles (per day by 2030) past Seattle’s core. For comparison, Mercer Street, which carries 80,000 vehicles per day, is getting a makeover costing $164 million, $36 million less than WSDOT’s estimating error on their $3.1-billion tunnel project. Continue reading Seattle’s Shunpikers Slice $200 Million From Tunnel Toll Estimates

News, Transportation

The Viaduct is a Hard Habit to Break

Last weekend, the Washington Department of Transportation opened a closed Viaduct to pedestrian traffic, so people could say their (first) goodbyes to the spit-and-baling-wire structure in person. It wasn’t the end of the entire Alaskan Way Viaduct–just the end of the southern end, which is being torn down this week, a project that is right on schedule. You can follow along yourself via WSDOT’s construction cameras. Continue reading The Viaduct is a Hard Habit to Break

News, Transportation

The Autumn of Our Traffic Backup Discontent

Traffic was going to be a little hinky at times anyway this weekend, thanks to Saturday Huskies (12:30 p.m.) and Sounders (7:30 p.m.) games, but WSDOT is also going to be working on the 520 bridge, which is slightly less old than its namesake, Albert Rosellini, who died this week at 101.

Well after the Huskies play, at 8 p.m., both directions of the SR 520 floating bridge and highway and all ramps between Montlake Boulevard and I-405 will be closed until 5 a.m. Monday. Continue reading The Autumn of Our Traffic Backup Discontent