Date:
Friday, March 14, 2008
Contact:
Victoria Tobin, WSDOT Urban Corridors Office, 206-464-1184
Emily Fishkin, Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program, 206-267-6821, 206-437-5061 (cell)
SEATTLE – WSDOT maintenance crews will close the Alaskan Way Viaduct for its semiannual inspection on March 22 and March 23. Crews will close both viaduct decks between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 22 and from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 23 between Spokane Street through the Battery Street Tunnel. The Battery Street Tunnel will remain closed overnight on Saturday.
Drivers should expect increased congestion on all major north-south routes during the closure and plan accordingly. WSDOT recommends leaving early, carpooling, vanpooling or taking transit. Drivers can check traffic conditions before they leave at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic. Up-to-the minute traffic information is also available via the voice-activated driver information line, 511.
In addition to structural inspections, WSDOT and the City of Seattle will coordinate maintenance and preservation work during this closure. Work next weekend will include:
- Smoothing out the roadway surface on the Columbia Street on-ramp
- Searching for and removing loose concrete on the viaduct
- Repairing expansion joints and damaged bridge rails
- Applying a protective covering to exposed rebar
- Servicing drainage systems and traffic cameras
- Washing the walls of the Battery Street Tunnel, and inspecting the lighting, fire suppression and ventilation systems
WSDOT will release preliminary inspection results on March 28, 2008.
We are moving forward to take down the viaduct in 2012. For more information, please visit the Web page.
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