Officials say there's a silver lining in Viaduct closure: fewer transportation choices
Some call it The Period of Maximum Constraint (or a traffic nightmare).
Others call it The Period of Maximum Influence.
How you view the looming, permanent closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct on January 11th until the new highway 99 tunnel opens three weeks later really depends on whether you think traffic congestion is a problem or a solution.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan may fall into the latter category, as she believes the longest major highway closure we’ve ever had in the region has a silver lining – namely that people will be forced to stop driving into downtown, change their travel behavior, and take public transportation.
“If there is a silver lining to the period of maximum constraint, it will be that people have no choice but to choose other forms of transport; it’s just going to be too hard to be in a vehicle.”
Only in a place like Seattle is less or no choice considered a silver lining.
Instead of working to relieve key bottlenecks using low-cost solutions that require only signing, pavement markings, and changes to traffic signal timing, public officials are proposing solutions that primarily focus on transit use. If not enough people conform, they’ve promised to double down and add even more transit accommodations, further burdening the majority of commuters.
The closure begins at 10PM on Friday, January 11, 2019, from South Spokane Street to the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel. During those three weeks, the highway will be realigned into the tunnel.
The tunnel will be tolled via cameras, but there is a grace period as people adjust and get comfortable with the new, smaller road. According to WSDOT, tolls will likely begin next summer and will range from $1 to $2.25 for drivers with a Good To Go! pass, and $2 more for people without the pass.