New Seattle tunnel gets its stripes, running men
Aug 21, 2018, 11:29 AM | Updated: 11:56 am
The new Seattle tunnel has stripes.
Crews finished striping Highway 99 between the stadiums and the Space Needle last weekend. The new stripes mean the tunnel now has two 11-foot lanes, an 8-foot shoulder on the left side, and a 2-foot buffer on the right in both directions (separate road decks).
Sounds normal for a roadway. What might seem a little strange at first are the 7-foot tall green stick figures and flashing lights crews are installing every 50 feet on the west walls of the tunnel. The arrows and figures point to the nearest exit and describe the distances to them.
You’ll see the “running man” symbols on both the southbound (upper) and northbound (lower) roadways.
The Washington State Department of Transportation says the tunnel could open as early as this fall, but first drivers must deal with a 3-week viaduct closure to realign SR 99 into the tunnel.
