Alaskan Way Viaduct closes for approximately two weeks starting April 29

See large map here

Southbound commuters and drivers should start planning now for a two week closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct on April 29. 

Starting Friday, April 29, the Washington State Department of Transportation will close the viaduct between South Spokane Street and the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel (map).

This closure is expected to start prior to the morning commute and last approximately two weeks as the SR 99 tunneling machine Bertha digs underneath the roadway near Yesler Way.

Roughly 90,000 vehicles use the viaduct each day. Because the structure is one of three major north/ south highways in the greater Seattle area, WSDOT expects this closure to have a significant effect on the region’s commute.

“When we closed the viaduct for nine days in 2011, we saw significant congestion on Seattle city streets and nearby highways,” said David Sowers, deputy administrator of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program. 

“We’ll do everything we can to ease congestion, but unfortunately there’s no way to close a major highway without disrupting traffic.”