State inspectors find viaduct has been stable since last year

By Tan Vinh
Seattle Times staff reporter

JAMES BRANAMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels joined inspectors yesterday to see if the Alaskan Way Viaduct has deteriorated further from earthquake-related damage. The road will be closed again today from 6 a.m. to noon.

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The earthquake-damaged Alaskan Way Viaduct apparently has passed its latest round of inspections, with state officials determining the roadway hasn't settled since movement was discovered a year ago.

In October 2003, the state Department of Transportation found the viaduct was continuing to move because of damage from the 2001 Nisqually earthquake and was only 2 inches away from potentially expensive repairs.

Since then, the state decided to inspect the viaduct twice a year to see whether it was continuing to move.

"Preliminary findings by WSDOT's inspection team indicate that the Alaskan Way Viaduct has not settled or moved" in the last year, the state said in a statement yesterday.

Maureen Sullivan, DOT urban project director, said preliminary results show the viaduct appears to have "stabilized for now." If the viaduct were to move 2 more inches, "we would have to do emergency repairs," she said.

The state is continuing its inspection this morning, and a report will be issued Monday.

The viaduct, which closed yesterday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., will close again today at 6 a.m. but reopen at noon to allow football fans to get to the Seahawks game.

Yesterday, Mayor Greg Nickels and state transportation administrators took advantage of the viaduct closure to hold a public tour. Pointing out the corroded beams and the fractured rebar, they said they wanted to underscore the need to replace the viaduct and to make their case that the economic benefit and the easing of traffic congestion are worth the $3 billion-to-$4 billion price tag to replace it.

"This is such a critical part of our infrastructure," the mayor said of the viaduct that carries 110,000 cars daily. The viaduct isn't just for the commuters, he added: "Goods and services and freight go through this corridor."
 
The Department of Transportation expects to pick a preferred alternative for replacing the viaduct in October or November. The leading options are a tunnel or rebuilding the existing structure.

The tunnel would cost up to $4 billion, the most expensive option, and would take seven to nine years to complete. The rebuild alternative would cost $2.7 billion to $3.1 billion and would take six to eight years.

Many residents who took the viaduct tour yesterday said city and state officials convinced them the viaduct was deteriorating, but they weren't sold on the two costly alternatives. "I don't think we can afford it," said Aaron Goss, 38, of West Seattle. "And I do not believe it will cost just $4 billion."

Goss thinks the city can survive without a viaduct, especially since it's such an eyesore along the waterfront — unlike waterfronts in San Francisco and Portland. The viaduct "makes the waterfront noisier and not people-oriented," he said.

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com