65 years of the Viaduct: Remembering Seattle's most contested elevated freeway

How have we loved the Viaduct? Let us count the ways. Click through to learn about the history of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. — How have we loved the Viaduct? Let us count the ways.

Click through to learn about the history of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
Alex Halverson/SeattlePI

Alaskan Way was once the main arterial along Seattle's busy waterfront (though part of it was originally Railroad Avenue). But by the 1950s it and other city streets were clogged with traffic, and city leaders had settled on building the viaduct to let drivers skirt the busy downtown streets. The viaduct first opened in 1953 and by the end of the 20th century, the raised portion of state Route 99 was carrying 110,000 cars per day through the city. Now, part of it has already been torn down and the rest will follow once the tunnel to replace it is completed. But before we say goodbye to a piece of Seattle's skyline, look back at the viaduct over the years, from before its inception to its demolition. Caption: Alaskan Way prior to construction of of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Exact date unknown. — **Alaskan Way was once the main arterial along Seattle's busy waterfront** (though part of it was originally Railroad Avenue). But by the 1950s it and other city streets were clogged with traffic, and city leaders had settled on building the viaduct to let drivers skirt the busy downtown streets. The viaduct first opened in 1953 and by the end of the 20th century, the raised portion of state Route 99 was carrying 110,000 cars per day through the city.

Now, part of it has already been torn down and the rest will follow once the tunnel to replace it is completed. But before we say goodbye to a piece of Seattle's skyline, look back at the viaduct over the years, from before its inception to its demolition.

Caption: Alaskan Way prior to construction of of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Exact date unknown.
P-I File

Gov. Chris Gregoire uses a chart while Seattle Mayor Greg Nickles and King County Executive Ron Sims listen to options for replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct during an Olympia news conference, March 14, 2007. That month, Seattle voters didn't favor a tunnel or an elevated replacement for the existing viaduct, complicating an already messy struggle between city and state leaders. The struggle continues.P-I File

The October 2009 photo caption read: Members of the Seattle City Council and Washington state legislators applaud as Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and Gov. Chris Gregoire sign a memorandum to replace the waterfront viaduct. A deep-bored tunnel is planned to replace the aging structure, a central issue in Seattle's upcoming mayoral election. Nickels, who was defeated in the primary, said some issues are worth losing an election over. "This is one of them," he said.P-I File

Fast forward to 2015, and 1,000 feet of the tunnel to replace the viaduct has been dug, while the tunneling machine, Bertha, has been idle due to a breakdown since December 2013. Digging would resume in December 2015, and continues (albeit with a few more setbacks) today. Work progresses on the Highway 99 waterfront tunnel in Seattle after it was announced that the tunnel boring machine Bertha will resume digging in November 2015. Photographed on Friday, July 17, 2015. — Fast forward to 2015, and 1,000 feet of the tunnel to replace the viaduct has been dug, while the tunneling machine, Bertha, has been idle due to a breakdown since December 2013. Digging would resume in December 2015, and continues (albeit with a few more setbacks) today.

Work progresses on the Highway 99 waterfront tunnel in Seattle after it was announced that the tunnel boring machine Bertha will resume digging in November 2015. Photographed on Friday, July 17, 2015.
JOSHUA TRUJILLO/SEATTLEPI.COM

The viaduct is no more.

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Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct was many things — beloved, hated, seismically unsound, embattled, short, a helluva view. And after 65 years, the final bits of it have been torn down.

In its wake it leaves a brand new tunnel, a brand new waterfront, and plenty of memories of driving on it and praying an earthquake doesn't strike. Still, Seattle wouldn't be who it is without that stretch of highway, which, in just six decades, left a bigger footprint than its few miles.

Coming off of a couple of decades devoted to keeping Seattle changing -- completing the Denny Regrade, the Elliott Bay Seawall and the Aurora Bridge, to name a few -- the city was enjoying a post-war boom thanks to the airplanes Boeing was building in what's now Sodo. In 1954, the Battery Street Tunnel opened to provide a link from the Aurora Avenue "speedway" to the newly-constructed viaduct.

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The viaduct was initially built to protect what the city viewed as the real reason for the waterfront: shipping. A petition was circulated which asserted that using the waterfront as a traffic bypass would cause "irreparable damage to the city's maritime commerce." By lifting the traffic above Alaskan Way, the city seemed to resolve the traffic issue.

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And everyone was happy with that resolution until February 2001, when an earthquake hit. The city came out relatively unscathed, but the 6.8 magnitude quake has sunk sections of the viaduct several inches.

Engineers and crews who worked to stabilize the viaduct agreed that if the quake had lasted a few moments longer, there wouldn't be a viaduct left to rescue. And so the decision was made to replace the viaduct -- but not, at least immediately, how.

During the next decade, ideas were bandied about, and one of the most scrutinized public processes in Washington's history waged on; more than 90 options were ultimately studied, according to the state Department of Transportation. Tempers flared, political campaigns came and went. So did parts of the viaduct itself, which were updated while we all waited for the politicians to sort out the issues.

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This time the focus on the waterfront had more to do with visuals than shipping, which had decamped to other spots in the city. And so eventually, it came down to two options: A new viaduct, or a new tunnel to replace it.

And in 2009 the decision was finally made: then-Gov. Christine Gregoire signed a bill approving funding for a viaduct replacement. The bill provided up to $2.8 billion in state funding for the new tunnel boring project to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Bertha ran into its fair share of trouble, taking much longer than initially forecasted, and giving the viaduct a bit of extra time to dazzle with its views and also frustrate with its traffic jams.

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From our first look at Bertha in 2012, to her latest stalls, we've watched the massive tunneling machine complete roughly 1,437 feet of the nearly two-mile tunnel. Click through here to see a timeline of Bertha's triumphs, fits and failures. First glimpse: December 2012 - Before we even saw the world's largest tunneling machine arrive on Seattle's shores, we got a look at her through her official Twitter account, @BerthaDigsSR99 (not to be confused with the multiple satirical Bertha accounts that have sprung up since her troubles began). (Photo by Washington State Department of Transportation.) — From our first look at Bertha in 2012, to her latest stalls, we've watched the massive tunneling machine complete roughly 1,437 feet of the nearly two-mile tunnel. Click through here to see a timeline of Bertha's triumphs, fits and failures.

**First glimpse:**

**December 2012** - Before we even saw the world's largest tunneling machine arrive on Seattle's shores, we got a look at her through her official Twitter account, @BerthaDigsSR99 (not to be confused with the multiple satirical Bertha accounts that have sprung up since her troubles began).

(Photo by Washington State Department of Transportation.)
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Bertha gets ready: April 19, 2013 - Colorful bits of the Bertha SR 99 tunneling machine stand out against a gray sky during a guided tour of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement program's progress at the site of the drill's launch point. The 41 pieces that make up the drill were unloaded and stored in preparation for lowering them into the ground and starting the assembly process. — **Bertha gets ready:**

**April 19, 2013** - Colorful bits of the Bertha SR 99 tunneling machine stand out against a gray sky during a guided tour of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement program's progress at the site of the drill's launch point. The 41 pieces that make up the drill were unloaded and stored in preparation for lowering them into the ground and starting the assembly process.
JORDAN STEAD/SEATTLEPI.COM

Bertha gets stuck: Dec. 7, 2013 - The contractor digging the tunnel for WSDOT, Seattle Tunnel Partners, "proactively" stopped tunneling after the machine encountered serious resistance. Bertha had been tunneling since July 30 and had made 1,000 feet the day before. In this photo, a drill rig begins the process of digging a hole so workers can figure out what blocked Bertha, the tunnel boring machine making its way under the Seattle waterfront. Photographed on Wednesday, December 11, 2013. — **Bertha gets stuck:**

**Dec. 7, 2013** - The contractor digging the tunnel for WSDOT, Seattle Tunnel Partners, "proactively" stopped tunneling after the machine encountered serious resistance. Bertha had been tunneling since July 30 and had made 1,000 feet the day before. In this photo, a drill rig begins the process of digging a hole so workers can figure out what blocked Bertha, the tunnel boring machine making its way under the Seattle waterfront. Photographed on Wednesday, December 11, 2013.
JOSHUA TRUJILLO/SEATTLEPI.COM

Bertha's parts emerge: March 30, 2015 - Bertha's 2,000-ton, 57.5-foot cutterhead and drive unit make the slow, 120-foot upward journey from the pit to street level for the repairs and redesigns that would eventually allow digging to resume. By the time the cutterhead and drive unit came to the surface, crews had already removed three pieces of Bertha's exterior from the pit, the largest weighing 270 tons. — **Bertha's parts emerge:**

**March 30, 2015** - Bertha's 2,000-ton, 57.5-foot cutterhead and drive unit make the slow, 120-foot upward journey from the pit to street level for the repairs and redesigns that would eventually allow digging to resume. By the time the cutterhead and drive unit came to the surface, crews had already removed three pieces of Bertha's exterior from the pit, the largest weighing 270 tons.
JORDAN STEAD/SEATTLEPI.COM

Bertha is scheduled to get back to work: July 17, 2015 - Just shy of two years after the world's largest tunnel boring machine began digging, WSDOT and Seattle Tunnel Partners announce that tunneling will resume in November 2015. The revised schedule puts the completion of the tunnel more than two years behind its original completion date, and critics start asking who will be on the hook for the obvious cost overruns. WSDOT maintains the contract with Seattle Tunnel Partners protects the state from any cost overruns. Before tunneling resumes, it will be reported that Seattle Tunnel Partners' insurer has sued to avoid paying an estimated $143 million in cost overruns for the repairs to Bertha, and then WSDOT will sue the contractor to maintain their right to future claims. In this photo, crews work on the final phases of repair and modifications to the cutterhead. — **Bertha is scheduled to get back to work:**

**July 17, 2015** - Just shy of two years after the world's largest tunnel boring machine began digging, WSDOT and Seattle Tunnel Partners announce that tunneling will resume in November 2015. The revised schedule puts the completion of the tunnel more than two years behind its original completion date, and critics start asking who will be on the hook for the obvious cost overruns. WSDOT maintains the contract with Seattle Tunnel Partners protects the state from any cost overruns.

Before tunneling resumes, it will be reported that Seattle Tunnel Partners' insurer has sued to avoid paying an estimated $143 million in cost overruns for the repairs to Bertha, and then WSDOT will sue the contractor to maintain their right to future claims.

In this photo, crews work on the final phases of repair and modifications to the cutterhead.
JOSHUA TRUJILLO/SEATTLEPI.COM

Bertha goes back into the ground: Aug. 24, 2015 - With all the above-ground work to repair Bertha complete, crews begin multiple crane operations to lower the cutter head back into the access pit, where it will then be reattached to the rest of the machine and tested before tunneling begins again. At this point, the contractor is still planning to start tunneling in late November. — **Bertha goes back into the ground:**

**Aug. 24, 2015** - With all the above-ground work to repair Bertha complete, crews begin multiple crane operations to lower the cutter head back into the access pit, where it will then be reattached to the rest of the machine and tested before tunneling begins again. At this point, the contractor is still planning to start tunneling in late November.
DANIEL DEMAY/SEATTLEPI.COM

Tunneling begins anew: Dec. 21, 2015 - More than two years after Bertha was halted in her tracks by a now unknown issue — and a month after tunneling was planned to resume — she starts moving once more. Though initial progress is slow, the contract, Seattle Tunnel Partners, reports that all systems look good. In this WSDOT photo, the cutter head is rotated while crews continue working to fill in the access pit before Bertha moves forward. — **Tunneling begins anew:**

**Dec. 21, 2015** - More than two years after Bertha was halted in her tracks by a now unknown issue — and a month after tunneling was planned to resume — she starts moving once more. Though initial progress is slow, the contract, Seattle Tunnel Partners, reports that all systems look good.

In this WSDOT photo, the cutter head is rotated while crews continue working to fill in the access pit before Bertha moves forward.
Courtesy WSDOT

Stalled again: Jan. 12, 2016 - Work on the tunnel grinds to a halt as a barge hauling excavated dirt from the tunnel tips and spills into Elliott Bay before being cut loose and then smacking into two piers. Seattle Tunnel Partners reports that damage to the pier will have to be repaired and a substitute barge put in place before any digging can continue. Crews continue building tunnel rings for the moment. — **Stalled again:**

**Jan. 12, 2016** - Work on the tunnel grinds to a halt as a barge hauling excavated dirt from the tunnel tips and spills into Elliott Bay before being cut loose and then smacking into two piers. Seattle Tunnel Partners reports that damage to the pier will have to be repaired and a substitute barge put in place before any digging can continue. Crews continue building tunnel rings for the moment.
GRANT HINDSLEY/GRANT HINDSLEY/SEATTLEPI.COM

A sinkhole and the Governor stop Bertha: Jan. 14, 2016 - While workers are figuring out solutions to the barge problem, a sinkhole about 35 feet long, 20 feet wide and 15 feet deep opens up just behind Bertha on Jan. 12. Seattle Tunnel Partners fills the hole with a concrete mixture and then reports the next day that the sinkhole isn't something to worry about. Gov. Jay Inslee doesn't buy it, though, and on Thursday that week orders work stopped until the contractor can report the cause of the sinkhole and show that it won't happen again, particularly under the viaduct or one of the waterfront's aging brick buildings. — **A sinkhole and the Governor stop Bertha:**

**Jan. 14, 2016** - While workers are figuring out solutions to the barge problem, a sinkhole about 35 feet long, 20 feet wide and 15 feet deep opens up just behind Bertha on Jan. 12. Seattle Tunnel Partners fills the hole with a concrete mixture and then reports the next day that the sinkhole isn't something to worry about. Gov. Jay Inslee doesn't buy it, though, and on Thursday that week orders work stopped until the contractor can report the cause of the sinkhole and show that it won't happen again, particularly under the viaduct or one of the waterfront's aging brick buildings.
DANIEL DEMAY/SEATTLEPI.COM

Bertha is back at it: Feb. 23, 2016 - More than a month after the Governor shut down Bertha's operation, work is allowed to resume, initially for a test period, while a new plan was drafted to make sure no more sinkholes open up behind the massive machine. The machine tunneled successfully through a 160-foot test section and was allowed to continued forward. By this time, the project is at least 27 months behind schedule and lawsuits indicate added costs that tally over $143 million, though it's unclear who will ultimately pay those. — **Bertha is back at it:**

**Feb. 23, 2016 -**
More than a month after the Governor shut down Bertha's operation, work is allowed to resume, initially for a test period, while a new plan was drafted to make sure no more sinkholes open up behind the massive machine. The machine tunneled successfully through a 160-foot test section and was allowed to continued forward. By this time, the project is at least 27 months behind schedule and lawsuits indicate added costs that tally over $143 million, though it's unclear who will ultimately pay those.
Courtesy WSDOT

Tunneling resumes, traffic on the viaduct halts: April 29, 2016 - After more than a month of maintenance and inspections at Safe Have Three, Bertha sets out once more on her mission to tunnel a highway beneath Seattle. Unfortunately for drivers above ground, though, since Bertha is now tunneling under the Alaskan Way Viaduct, WSDOT officials close that portion of state Route 99. The closure is expected to last about two weeks. — **Tunneling resumes, traffic on the viaduct halts:**

**April 29, 2016** - After more than a month of maintenance and inspections at Safe Have Three, Bertha sets out once more on her mission to tunnel a highway beneath Seattle. Unfortunately for drivers above ground, though, since Bertha is now tunneling under the Alaskan Way Viaduct, WSDOT officials close that portion of state Route 99. The closure is expected to last about two weeks.
SCOTT SUNDE/SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Bertha's latest schedule even further behind with more costs: July 21, 2016 - WSDOT officials head to Olympia to announce that the tunnel won't be open until early 2019, something around a year later than even the last schedule. But worse news for lawmakers was the fact that the state will need at least $224 million more to finish the project -- and that's if contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners loses its lawsuits and other claims to insurers totally more than $200 million. Otherwise, the state could wind up on the hook for even more. For the time being, the state hasn't allowed any official change orders (contract talk for adding costs), so they just need more money for their own employees to stay dedicated to the project. — **Bertha's latest schedule even further behind with more costs:**

**July 21, 2016** - WSDOT officials head to Olympia to announce that the tunnel won't be open until early 2019, something around a year later than even the last schedule. But worse news for lawmakers was the fact that the state will need at least $224 million more to finish the project -- and that's if contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners loses its lawsuits and other claims to insurers totally more than $200 million. Otherwise, the state could wind up on the hook for even more. For the time being, the state hasn't allowed any official change orders (contract talk for adding costs), so they just need more money for their own employees to stay dedicated to the project.
GRANT HINDSLEY/SEATTLEPI.COM

Bertha clears 4,000 feet, all seems well: Aug. 22, 2016 - As summer hums along, Bertha has been hard at work, passing the 4,000-foot mark before the end of August and nearing the halfway point in the 9,270-foot tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Even if the tunnel was originally scheduled to be open by year's end, the progress is on pace and WSDOT reports no problems along the way. Monitoring equipment shows little to no movement of the viaduct during the work and Bertha will continue to mine below First Avenue until Stewart Street, where the machine with move west and keep its northerly direction toward the planned end of the tunnel near Seattle Center. — **Bertha clears 4,000 feet, all seems well:**

**Aug. 22, 2016** - As summer hums along, Bertha has been hard at work, passing the 4,000-foot mark before the end of August and nearing the halfway point in the 9,270-foot tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Even if the tunnel was originally scheduled to be open by year's end, the progress is on pace and WSDOT reports no problems along the way. Monitoring equipment shows little to no movement of the viaduct during the work and Bertha will continue to mine below First Avenue until Stewart Street, where the machine with move west and keep its northerly direction toward the planned end of the tunnel near Seattle Center.
GENNA MARTIN/SEATTLEPI.COM

Bertha makes 5,000 feet, halfway finished: Oct. 3, 2016 - As Seattle heads into its rainiest winter ever, Bertha, far below ground level, his her halfway mark in tunneling. Crews continue stopping periodically for short maintenance breaks, but overall work continues at a pace that pleases contractors and WSDOT. On the north end of the tunnel, crews have readied the extraction pit where Bertha will land once she finishes the tunnel. — **Bertha makes 5,000 feet, halfway finished:**

**Oct. 3, 2016** - As Seattle heads into its rainiest winter ever, Bertha, far below ground level, his her halfway mark in tunneling. Crews continue stopping periodically for short maintenance breaks, but overall work continues at a pace that pleases contractors and WSDOT. On the north end of the tunnel, crews have readied the extraction pit where Bertha will land once she finishes the tunnel.
GRANT HINDSLEY/SEATTLEPI.COM

Bertha passes 1,000 rings, set to finish mid-2017: Dec. 13, 2016 -- Before Christmas, Bertha has made it to 1,000 rings, leaving just 426 left to build before she emerges at the north end of the tunnel. As fighting begins above ground over who will pay mounting costs that exceed the original contract for the tunnel, workers below ground steer the machine on a course toward completion without any issues, according to contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners. The project, perhaps surprisingly to its detractors, is moving along without fail. — **Bertha passes 1,000 rings, set to finish mid-2017:**

**Dec. 13, 2016** -- Before Christmas, Bertha has made it to 1,000 rings, leaving just 426 left to build before she emerges at the north end of the tunnel. As fighting begins above ground over who will pay mounting costs that exceed the original contract for the tunnel, workers below ground steer the machine on a course toward completion without any issues, according to contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners. The project, perhaps surprisingly to its detractors, is moving along without fail.
GRANT HINDSLEY/SEATTLEPI.COM

Bertha breaks through, finishes tunneling: April 4, 2017 - With no real hiccups in the last several months, Bertha breaks through the north end of the tunnel, finishing a dig that had been underway for nearly four years. Crews and officials are ecstatic and hug and celebrate a milestone in the work to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct. But even with the tunnel bored, work will carry on for about two more years before drivers can take their first passes through the new tunnel, a privilege they'll have to pay for. Pictured: Laborer Jake Chopic raised a celebratory fist in the air as he climbs out onto the cutter head of Bertha just after breaking through the north end of the tunnel, Tuesday, April 4, 2017. — **Bertha breaks through, finishes tunneling:**

**April 4, 2017** - With no real hiccups in the last several months, Bertha breaks through the north end of the tunnel, finishing a dig that had been underway for nearly four years. Crews and officials are ecstatic and hug and celebrate a milestone in the work to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct. But even with the tunnel bored, work will carry on for about two more years before drivers can take their first passes through the new tunnel, a privilege they'll have to pay for.

Pictured: Laborer Jake Chopic raised a celebratory fist in the air as he climbs out onto the cutter head of Bertha just after breaking through the north end of the tunnel, Tuesday, April 4, 2017.
GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM

It wouldn't be until April 4, 2017 that Bertha would break on through to the other side. From there construction on the tunnel got going in earnest, completing in March 2018. The tunnel opened in early 2019 — with a brief distraction from the Snowpocalypse.

From there it was a slow tear down over the course of the next few months, with the last bits of the Alaskan Way Viaduct coming down before 2019 was out. It's just one stop on Seattle's way to being a brave new world, full of new roads and new, but we'll always have a little bit of a soft spot for the old Viaduct.