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Viaduct

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3K views 53 replies 26 participants last post by  Old Man 
#1 ·
How many of you Seattlites are (or have) driving the viaduct one last time today?
 
#2 ·
Me, I may be tempted to stop or drive slow, break the law and take photos of the wonderful view of Puget Sound while I drive. I am really going to miss the view which quite often prompted thoughts of fly fishing on the sound or in the Olympic Peninsula. In late September it provided a vantage point when I could imagine salmon beginning their return to the rivers to spawn and imagine these waters over 150 years ago when the runs were incredible as well as a super abundance of other native fish. Being a 68 year old Seattle native and driving on the viaduct to work over the last 14 years, it's truly going to be missed. Now, whenever I have grand children, I can tell them about driving on it and what the views were like. For myself, this viaduct will be missed more for its views versus its convenience.
 
#28 ·
I have to admit that I always got a tiny bit freaked out driving on the lower deck. It gave me visions of the Bay Bridge pancaking when the earthquake hit during the 1989 world series. I will miss the dark funkiness on the waterfront, though. And after watching that video, I'll never again relax while eating chowder at Ivar's.
 
#7 ·
I worked for a construction company that had its office on the 1st level of the Pike hill climb and drove the viaduct frequently. My last memory of the viaduct was being on the 21st floor of the Columbia Tower when the Nisqually earthquake hit. First thing we did when the shaking stopped was to look out the window to see if the viaduct was still standing.
 
#8 ·
I travel to Seattle and work onsite at my co. about every 2 months or so. I cancelled my trip to Seattle because of the viaduct closure. I wasn't worried about traffic because I take light rail from the airport and stay in a company apartment close to work, but, most of the people in my office are going to work from home, so that kind of defeats the purpose of being onsite.

I hope the traffic isn't as bad as they're predicting. I remember one summer afternoon when the viaduct was closed. I was still living in Everett and commuting to Seattle. My bus was 2 hours late that day.... good times...
 
#11 · (Edited)
Not to be a downer about the new tunnel but....
I think there are going to be some major accidents right where you enter the tunnel heading north.
There is a fairly good slope down into the tunnel and it looks like the tunnel kind of curves to the west just as you enter, creating kind of a blind corner.
Unless speeds are really slow entering the tunnel, if traffic gets backed up in there it doesn't look like folks will have much time to react before they rear end someone.
Just how I see it driving by that entrance all the time.
SF
 
#12 ·
Now you are all going to tell me that the tunnel is earthquake proof.. I can see a Earthquake happening and the tunnel filled with cars and the tunnel walls crack and the sound comes rushing in. Lots of dead people.

Wasn't the Waterfront built on back fill?? Also how many lanes is that tunnel wide??
 
#14 ·
Definitely going to effect my Tacoma to Seattle commute, but I can adjust my timing if needed. I agree with NWflyfisher, it really was a great view of the Olympics. Was on the viaduct the other day and itching for my first run out there next week.

At least we'll spend billions on a new waterfront so the hobos can set up new tent encampments with great views.
 
#17 ·
I was heading back to W Seattle Wednesday night and went out of my way to make one more trip on the old structure. I've always liked the tunnel option, because as cool as it is driving north on the old behemoth, the waterfront will be so much nicer without its dark, looming, noisy presence. But it's actually going to kind of suck for getting to Ballard or Magnolia.
 
#19 ·
I am working in west seattle next door to EWA fly shop....

Today during a morning break, a co-worker talked about it being the last day, we stopped work and left early so he could cruise it and reminisce.

We did a job recently on the old maritime bldg next to viaduct. Its all gonna be sweet real estate when the viaduct is gone and all cleaned up.
 
#24 ·
The viaduct had history and soul; a crusty element that is largely disappearing from Seattle. I like history, soul and crusty. This town is all about out with the old and in with the new. Tacoma is looking more and more appealing these days...
 
#26 ·
I drove across it yesterday and my first thought was that I am going to miss this view. I grew up on Bainbridge Island and always got a kick out of seeing the ferries coming and going as I drove by to head to work. Progress is necessary, but that view, I will miss. The tunnel won’t do anything to alleviate traffic, as two lanes going to two lanes doesn’t fix the bottleneck, but at least we won’t have to worry about the viaduct collapsing in an earthquake, and the waterfront will see a huge transformation. For the better, likely, but we will have to wait and see.
 
#51 ·
I will miss the view, but not the gridlock. I've probably driven the viaduct 1,000+ times as it was part of my daily commute for a few years. The view, especially at night, was always phenomenal.

On a different note, I'm probably one of a handful of folks in town who benefit from the closure. Zero north bound traffic coming through downtown plays perfectly for my morning drive to the office.

The tunnel won't do anything to alleviate traffic, as two lanes going to two lanes doesn't fix the bottleneck,
The bottle neck was from the Battery Street Tunnel. Two back to back turns of basically 90° is a sonofabitch during rush hour. The new tunnel bypasses that. I think it will alleviate traffic, but how much is hard to say.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Commuted from BI to my job in Seattle from '79 into '85, often by bicycle, and rode underneath all that concrete for some of the way. I no longer give a raggedy rodent's ass about the traffic problems there, but I'm glad that the viaduct is finally coming down and will be no more. It was always too much ugly conrete! Always. Too much. Ugly concrete. Even before when I was a student at the U of W back in 68/69. As far back as I can remember...into the mid 1950's...too much ugly concrete! GOOD RIDDANCE!
 
#34 ·
Feel sorry for everyone that's going to have to deal with the demo stage....gonna be a lot longer than 3-4 weeks. I commuted from North Kirkland to South Park for 10 years. Great job..got to work in 5 different Euorpean countries & a lot of time in Snort Lauderdale. But the ride home got to be 1 1/2 hours in 1998. Still can't believe I ever put up with it.
 
#36 ·
I can't believe people like and want to keep that pile of ugly crumbling eye sore of concrete, and it's a future death trap. Good riddance, all the people that want to keep it are the same people that want more lanes on I5. SEATTLE, one of the largest cities in the west with the worst transit system in the world. NY figured this shit out in the 1800's!
 
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