The Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program consists of 30 projects led by the Washington State Department of Transportation, King County, the City of Seattle and the Port of Seattle. The Federal Highway Administration is a partner in this effort.
The Alaskan Way Viaduct, an elevated section of State Route 99 in Seattle, was built in the 1950s, and decades of daily wear and tear took a toll on the structure. The structure was weakened in the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, requiring emergency repairs. Because of the viaduct’s age and vulnerability to earthquakes, replacing it was critical to public safety. The Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program consists of 30 projects that replace the viaduct and provide safety and mobility improvements to Seattle's central waterfront.
The state's viaduct replacement projects are estimated to cost $3.35 billion. Funding comes from state, federal and local sources, as well as the Port of Seattle and tolls.
The final project in the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program is the South Access - Surface Street Connections project. There are no other opportunities for community engagement with the AWV Program.
People interested in learning about the design or construction of the new Alaskan Way surface street along Seattle's central waterfront should contact the City of Seattle's Office of the Waterfront.
The SR 99 Tunnel: A two-mile-long tunnel beneath downtown Seattle. Viaduct Demolition: Removing the viaduct along Seattle's central waterfront. Battery Street Tunnel and North Surface Streets: Decommissioning the Battery Street Tunnel and rebuilding three blocks of Seventh Avenue North in South Lake Union. Holgate to King Street: A mile-long stretch of new SR 99 highway near Seattle’s stadiums and an overpass that allows traffic to bypass train blockages near Seattle’s busiest port terminal. New Alaskan Way: A new Alaskan Way surface street along Seattle's central waterfront that provides multimodal connections between SR 99 and downtown.
The view of Seattle's central waterfront before and after the SR 99 tunnel opened and the Alaskan Way Viaduct was demolished.
This page contains documents related to the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program's environmental review and analysis. The final environmental impact statement (final EIS) describes the permanent effects, construction effects, cumulative effects, and proposed mitigation for the project's proposed alternatives for construction.
