It’s the Final Countdown: Alaskan Way Viaduct Program will wrap up its final project this summer!

By Leiona Islam

Bring out the confetti! The South Access: Surface Street Connections project, the final state-led project of the Alaskan Way Program, will be completed this summer!

What will I see when it's done?

The project has been doing road work in Seattle near the south end of the State Route 99 Tunnel, finishing work that couldn't be done while the Alaskan Way Viaduct was still standing. A signature piece of this project is a new pedestrian corridor on Railroad Way South, connecting the new Alaskan Way to Seattle's sports stadiums.

Demolition of the viaduct ramps on Railroad Way South in 2019 and the same location, four years later – the new pedestrian corridor on Railroad Way South!

The project is also building a new section of bike/pedestrian trail and a new equipment garage for the SR 99 Tunnel's South Operations Building that will hold equipment used to maintain and clean the tunnel.

Completing this project is a win for providing more multimodal options near Seattle's stadiums and represents a final step in the area's transformation after the demolition of the old Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Cool video! Now what's next?

Viaduct demolition in 2019 opened up space for a reimagined central Seattle waterfront. The South Access: Surface Streets Connection project is just a small part of that larger reimagining, which is being led by the City of Seattle's Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects.

The new pedestrian corridor on Railroad Way South was actually designed as part of the Waterfront Seattle improvements. We are thankful to the Waterfront Seattle team for their continued partnership while we constructed their vision for this area. The new pedestrian plazas will tie beautifully into the pedestrian, bicycle and transit improvements being built along the waterfront just to the north by the City of Seattle, connecting more neighborhoods to a new world class Waterfront Park. Check out what Waterfront Seattle is building here! And if you have questions, you can reach us at viaduct@wsdot.wa.gov.