The SunBreak » viaduct

Seattle’s Tunnel Boring Machine Waiting on Concrete Liner Maker’s Next Move

Michael van Baker — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 18:31:31 +0000

Last week, the Tacoma News Tribune reported that the maker of the concrete tunnel liners for Seattle's Viaduct replacement project, FPS EnCon, was coming apart at its joint-venture seams: "Tunnel liner builder FPS EnCon shows Frederickson workers the door."

Alaskan Way Reroute Begins 2nd Week of May

Michael van Baker — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:15:47 +0000

Moving ahead with the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement project, Washington Department of Transportation crews will reroute Alaskan Way traffic south of Spring Street to a newly improved road below the viaduct. That in turn will change the way you get to the ferry toll plaza at Colman Dock.

Glimpses: “Viaduct demolition event”

Chelsea — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:00:15 +0000

Putting the issues with the Viaduct demolition and its tunnel replacement aside for a moment, we can focus on this moment of joy amidst the hysteria. Thanks to WSDOT for capturing this epic canine leap during last fall's chance for the public to say goodbye to our city's most maligned of its elevated concrete roadways. At least someone seemed happy to say goodbye.

New Stadium Notion Leaves Port, the Ms Feeling Congested Even Before Tunnel Toll

Michael van Baker — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:42:59 +0000

But, faced with years of tunnel-construction and Viaduct-destruction, the Port and Mariners have decided a new stadium is a bridge too far. Why? Fears of traffic congestion. Here is a delightful section of the Port's letter to all and sundry in which they discover that they never got their promised east-west connectors, that tolls divert traffic, and that they forgot to demand meaningful construction mitigation.

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

Michael van Baker — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:09:08 +0000

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.

The Viaduct is a Hard Habit to Break

Michael van Baker — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:26:06 +0000

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.