Travel with Jonathan Rundle

Goodbye, Alaskan Way Viaduct

January 12, 2019/Jonathan Rundle/1 Comment

The Alaskan Way Viaduct has been a daily grind for many of Seattle’s commuters. Now that it’s being torn down and replaced by a tunnel we’re all getting a little nostalgic.

In this post, I meet up with some riding buddies (some of whom I haven’t ridden with since Utah) to ride the Viaduct on her last night.

The viaduct closes at 10 pm tonight, so we’ve met up at Slim’s Last Chance Saloon at 7 to ride the upper deck, head to Fremont for dinner and then come back home via the lower level deck of the Viaduct.

Of course, we aren’t the only ones who want to say goodbye to the double-decker roadway that has served Seattle for 65 years. The road was full, but moving.

After tonight, the road will dip into the tunnel for a view-less journey under downtown.

But for now, we find some speed up to the top deck of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the road with the best view in Seattle, for the last time.

Passing by the landmarks of the Pike Place Market (est. 1907) to the right and the Seattle Great Wheel (est. 2012) the removal of the viaduct is just one more example of time marching on.

The Battery Street Tunnel has always been fun to blast through; tonight especially so since it’s days are numbered. When the viaduct closes, so does this tunnel.

One of the members of our group found a little extra throttle through the tunnel.

Returning home, much closer to the closing time of 10:00 – more and more cars packed the lanes of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. People were honking and waving, taking photos, hanging out of their sunroof – giving the old girl a good send-off.

The party continued well past the closing time. People we parking, getting out of their cars for photos and shooting off fireworks. I even heard someone held a vigil at Victor Steinbrueck Park which overlooks the viaduct near the Pike Place Market.