A final farewell with Alaskan Way Viaduct now fully removed
Sep 23, 2019, 6:01 PM
Work finished on the removal of the final piece of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Saturday night, with the Washington State Department of Transportation releasing a video timeline of the whole process.
WSDOT approaches final stages of Alaskan Way Viaduct demolition
The viaduct demolition — which kicked off in late February — involved an extensive combination of cranes, concrete munchers, and a fleet of trucks to haul away rubble.
This rubble pile at Marion St was the last section of double-deck viaduct left standing. Except for some single-deck sections near the railroad tracks, the viaduct is gone.
Please enjoy our 6-min demolition recap video:https://t.co/aYnxCHKlOD #byeaduct pic.twitter.com/RVI06In9da
— SR 99 (@BerthaDigsSR99) September 23, 2019
Crews worked to remove the viaduct in stages. First, they punched out the upper roadway between rows of girders, a process called “swabbing the deck.” Then, they use what Ferma Corporation’s Kelly Arnold described as “the biggest machine we have” to fully take down the upper girders.
The girders were then sawed and removed with cranes, the columns were munched down by more machines, and the process repeated on the lower deck. Some stages of demolition even had crews removing pieces situated mere inches away from neighboring buildings.
“I’ve been in the demolition industry for 32 years, and this is one of the toughest jobs I’ve ever done,” said Arnold, who works as the National Projects Division Manager and oversaw the demolition process.
Demolition head describes work to remove viaduct
Next, work will kick off to clean up the remaining rubble, before a large-scale waterfront renewal project begins.
The post-viaduct plan for the area includes a 20-acre park and public space. A new elevated pathway connecting Pike Place Market and downtown to the waterfront was installed during the demolition process.
According to Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, funding for this project will total over $700 million, with Seattle taxpayers fronting $248 million of the costs. Over $110 million will come from the Friends of Waterfront Seattle nonprofit, over $193 million will come from the state government, and $160 million from the downtown property owners’ Local Improvement District (LID).
