MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Community objects to fill-in plan for Seattle’s Battery Street Tunnel

Mar 15, 2018, 4:03 PM | Updated: Mar 16, 2018, 7:58 am

The Battery Street Tunnel was originally called a “subway,” which was another name for the uncovered roadway that original designs called for.  (Seattle Municipal Archives) The Alaskan Way Viaduct and Battery Street Tunnel were built to take Highway 99 traffic off of downtown Seattle surface streets.  (Seattle Municipal Archives) A cinderblock building at 4th Avenue and Battery Street in downtown Seattle is the emergency exit from the Battery Street Tunnel, and the entrance to the roadway’s original, still-functioning, 1954 control room.  (Feliks Banel) Maintenance Supervisor Rick Rodda led a tour of the Battery Street Tunnel control room one day before he retired from WSDOT.  (Feliks Banel) The stairs function as an emergency exit from the Battery Street Tunnel, and provide access to the control room; debris suggests people sometimes take shelter there.  (Feliks Banel) Inside the old control room is a vintage desk filled with vintage papers and office supplies.  (Feliks Banel) The old control room is fully equipped with a vintage 1954 bathroom.  (Feliks Banel) The original control panel for lighting in the Battery Street Tunnel is still on the job, nearly 65 years after it was first installed.  (Feliks Banel) Officials tested the Battery Street Tunnel’s safety systems in July 1954, just before the tunnel opened to regular traffic.  (Seattle Municipal Archives) The standard metal entrance door of the control room is secured by an additional sliding panel, as seen in this 1954 photo.  (Seattle Municipal Archives) Several pieces of original equipment remain inside the Battery Street Tunnel control room.  (Feliks Banel) A diagram in the old control room shows the original, and still functioning, fire extinguishing sprinkler system.  (Feliks Banel) As traffic speeds by on northbound SR-99, Rick Rodda stands at the door of the old Battery Street Tunnel control room and reflects on more than 30 years of work for WSDOT. (Feliks Banel)

Mushroom farms. A composting laboratory for Bill Gates. And sewage storage in the heart of the city. All ideas for what to do with Seattle’s Battery Street Tunnel instead of simply closing it up and filling it in.

“It could be a laboratory for the Gates Foundation to finally work out their composting commode idea …” said Buster Simpson at the city council’s Sustainability and Finance Committee meeting Thursday. “I beg to differ with the engineering assessments that this cannot be secured and stabilized … Looks like we have to go to the governor, right? To convince him that if he wants to be president, this would be a great opportunity for him.”

RELATED: The secret room inside the Battery Street Tunnel

The Battery Street Tunnel is slated to be filled in once the new Highway 99 tunnel opens later this year. The old tunnel has provided a route under Belltown — and has had a bladder control problem — since 1965.

Battery Street Tunnel

When the new tunnel was designed, it was agreed that the Washington State Department of Transportation would decommission the Battery Street Tunnel. The Seattle council is now considering a bill which allows the mayor to negotiate responsibilities for that job. It’s the latest in a series of agreements between the city and the state.

KIRO Radio Traffic Reporter Chris Sullivan says that the plan for the structure was cemented years ago.

“The tunnel is going to be filled in,” Sullivan says. “That’s the plan WSDOT has had. It’s part of the deal to complete the 99 tunnel project. It has an obligation to fill it in. WSDOT says the tunnel would need major updates and improvements to be used for anything else.”

The current plan is to hire a contractor to fill in the tunnel in the spring of 2018. Work will take 18-24 months. A parcel of land at the south end of the tunnel is being considered for new open space.

A group called Recharge the Battery has sprung up, however, to change WSDOT’s plan. Members spoke at the  Thursday meeting to promote other ideas. Councilmember Mike O’Brien noted that while he thinks good ideas have come from the community, halting the tunnel plan would have financial impacts for the city. The committee recommended moving the bill to the full council.

Seattle’s stinky problem

The most cited community suggestion is to use the tunnel for storm water overflow. Steven Fry with the 2030 District agrees with Recharge the Battery.

“We believe the Battery Street Tunnel is an invaluable asset to the continued sustainability of Belltown by adding storm water management capacity, providing a testing ground for new methods of wastewater treatment, or some other use determined after careful analysis,” Fry told the committee.

RELATED: Could Seattle grow mushrooms in a decommissioned tunnel?

It’s not a new idea. Seattle bored another tunnel under Ballard, Fremont, and Wallingford to provide sewage / storm water storage. Another tunnel was constructed underneath the canal near Fremont.

When the city was designed more than 100 years ago, planners flushed sewage from homes and storm water into the same pipes. But as more streets were built and as heavy rain storms increased, those pipes have overflowed more often. Overflows push sewage into Puget Sound, Lake Union, and Lake Washington. Seattle and King County were fined for how often pipes overflow into natural waters.

The problem is expected to get worse as the region’s population continues to boom.

MyNorthwest News

KIRO Newsradio gracie awards...

MyNorthwest Staff

KIRO Newsradio anchors receive Gracie Awards for outstanding work

Heather Bosch and Lisa Brooks, anchors at KIRO Newsradio, have been honored by the Alliance for Women in Media with prestigious Gracie Awards.

24 minutes ago

Kia Boys...

Kate Stone, KIRO Newsradio and Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

‘Kia Boys’ allegedly execute a crime spree in south King County

Renton police chased down a 14-and 16-year-old but are still looking for two other teen suspects in what they said was a "crime spree" in south King County.

1 hour ago

Spanaway woman shot dead...

Kate Stone

Search for shooter continues after woman shot dead while driving in Spanaway

A 47-year-old woman was shot dead in Spanaway, causing her to hit another driver head-on early Wednesday morning.

3 hours ago

nintendo redmond...

Frank Sumrall

Nintendo to lay off 86 Redmond employees this spring

Nintendo of America is laying off 86 contract workers in Redmond, beginning May 25, due to company reorganization.

3 hours ago

Everett boy missing...

Sam Campbell

4-year-old Everett boy missing, police worried he’s in danger

Police and Search and Rescue crews are looking for a missing four-year-old boy they suspect could be in danger.

5 hours ago

Image: The awnings of a store advertise the sale of lottery tickets, including Mega Millions and Po...

Steve Coogan

Lottery jackpots update: Powerball prize jumps again after $1.1B Mega Millions win

A lottery jackpots update: The Powerball prize reached an estimated $935 million ahead of Saturday night's drawing.

14 hours ago

Community objects to fill-in plan for Seattle’s Battery Street Tunnel