clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Seattle Tunnel

Alaskan Way Viaduct demolition is complete

Bye forever, viaduct!

A quick guide to Seattle’s SR 99 tunnel

Everything you need to know about the toll road lurking beneath downtown.

Alaskan Way Viaduct demolition officially begins

It started with a chunk of the Columbia Street onramp

The last days of the Alaskan Way Viaduct

With final drives, walks, and rides, Seattleites sent off the aging highway.

What public transportation is—and isn’t—doing during the Seattle Squeeze

As Seattle heads into a three-week traffic, there are some added transit options—and missed opportunities

WSDOT digs up five-year-old tunnel onramp as opening day approaches

There’s a new onramp to the new tunnel—but it’s been here all along!

Historic photos show Seattle’s waterfront before the Alaskan Way Viaduct

A peek at a highway-free neighborhood

Here’s how State Route 99 will be redirected through the tunnel

The whole process will take about three weeks

Tunnel opening celebration is also a chance to say goodbye to the Viaduct

One last chance to walk, run, or ride this February

The Alaskan Way Viaduct will close forever on January 11

The long-awaited retirement of the doomed stretch of SR-99 has a date

The State Route 99 tunnel gets its stripes—and giant running stick figures

The tunnel could open this fall

Here’s what State Route 99 tunnel tolls could look like

Tolls will likely be between $1 and $2.25—but the state is still working out timing

The Battery Street Tunnel will become rubble storage, not public space

Dreams of adaptive reuse were dashed at this week’s City Council meeting

With final piece of roadway in place, the SR 99 tunnel begins to take shape

There’s still a lot of work to do before the long-delayed tunnel opens to cars—but it’s getting there

Watch the layers of the new Seattle downtown tunnel fill in Bertha’s pit

A new WSDOT video shows how the roadway stacks up

New tool helps you keep track of all Seattle’s waterfront construction

What’s happening right now—and what’s happening in through 2023?

Time lapse video shows SR 99 tunnel coming together

Watch the roadway being constructed

SR 99 tunnel’s lower deck arrives as upper deck nears completion

The tunnel’s on track to open in 2019

Tour the SR 99 tunnel in two-minute drone video

Travel the tunnel’s two-mile span a couple of years early.

Bertha is officially completely dismantled

RIP forever, Bertha.

See Bertha’s disassembly inside the State Route 99 tunnel in new video

Nearly four months after completing its journey into the disassembly pit after digging the two-mile-long State Route 99 tunnel, tunnel-boring machine Bertha is half-dismantled.

Watch Bertha come apart in new WSDOT video

Sped up in a time-lapse video, it’s exciting—and a little satisfying—watching the machine come apart. Watch seven weeks of disassembly in one minute.

WSDOT finishes earthquake-flexible Highway 99 bridge

The just-completed South Dearborn Street Off-Ramp Bridge won’t carry cars for a long while—but it’s notable for its earthquake-safety technology.

Bertha’s disassembly has begun: Watch the first piece leaving the pit

The tunnel-boring machine that dug the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel has started coming apart.

Inside the Highway 99 tunnel’s safety engineering

We spoke with contractor HNTB about what will keep the State Route 99 Viaduct replacement tunnel safe from fires, floods, earthquakes, and pollution.

Bertha fully emerges into the disassembly pit

Bertha, the boring machine that drilled the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel, has fully emerged from the tunnel into the disassembly pit.

Cary Moon announces mayoral candidacy

Urban planner and engineer Cary Moon has announced that she’s running for mayor.

Mike McGinn enters the mayoral race

Former Seattle mayor Mike McGinn announced today that he’d be seeking another term.

Watch Bertha get its braces off in preparation for disassembly

Late Wednesday, crews finished removing wall braces standing between tunnel-boring machine Bertha and the disassembly pit.

Watch Bertha’s breakthrough highlights in a WSDOT video

In case you missed the big moment

Remembering broken promises about Bertha

We heard a lot of things about what would happen with the tunnel project—and a many of those stories didn’t come true.

Bertha finishes digging the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel

After nearly four years, Bertha has finished digging SR 99 tunnel.

Watch Bertha break through

After more than three years of drilling, Bertha’s journey is coming to an end on Tuesday—and the big moment is being livestreamed.

Bertha is 127 feet from the finish line

Bertha won’t see daylight this week, but the tunnel boring machine is nearing the finish line.

Bertha could reach wall at end of tunneling route this week

WSDOT announced that Bertha, the boring machine drilling the SR 99 tunnel, was just 320 feet from the finish line.

See inside Bertha the tunnel boring machine

WSDOT gives an up-close and personal look inside Bertha in a new 360 video.

Bertha resumes tunneling after course correction

Bertha, the tunnel boring machine currently digging the State Route 99 tunnel, is back to work after an adjustment.

Bertha burrows into Zone 9 and under SR 99

Tunnels passing under tunnels, Seattle’s basement maze

Seattle traffic hitting limits

Get ready to share the ride even more